


Shadows of the Tragedy

by InterstellarVagabond



Series: In Another World [3]
Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, Dangan Ronpa 3: The End of 希望ヶ峰学園 | The End of Kibougamine Gakuen | End of Hope's Peak High School, Dangan Ronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc, Super Dangan Ronpa 2
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, F/F, F/M, Fluff, Found Family, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Killing Game (Dangan Ronpa), M/M, Multi, Polyamory, Sequel, Unrequited Love, mentioned child abuse, one sided naekusaba
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-10
Updated: 2020-03-07
Packaged: 2021-02-28 02:01:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 6
Words: 19,940
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22646071
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/InterstellarVagabond/pseuds/InterstellarVagabond
Summary: It's been a year since Junko's failed attempt to bring despair to Hope's Peak Academy. Class 77 has been drafted into the Future Foundation: an organization meant to protect ultimate children and prevent further psychological stress that could lead to the creation of people like Junko Enoshima. Class 78 is about to graduate... when they are kidnapped.Makoto Naegi and his classmates wake up in a ruined Towa City, and are forced into a killing game that will leave only seven of them alive for the mastermind's future plans.While Izuru and Chisa disagree with the Future Foundation's use of the 77th class, they find themselves working with them as they investigate the missing students. A killing game, a mystery, and Izuru struggling to find his place in a world he still finds boring and hopeless, and to top it all off a group of child soldiers training to use despair in the name of hope. Junko Enoshima may be dead, but the shadows of her would be tragedy continue to grow.
Relationships: Asahina Aoi/Ogami Sakura, Fukawa Touko/Naegi Komaru, Ishimaru Kiyotaka/Oowada Mondo, Kamukura Izuru/Komaeda Nagito/Nanami Chiaki, Kirigiri Kyoko/Naegi Makoto/Togami Byakuya, Munakata Kyosuke/Sakakura Juzo/Yukizome Chisa, Sonia Nevermind/Soda Kazuichi/Tanaka Gundham
Series: In Another World [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1618462
Comments: 41
Kudos: 100





	1. Welcome to the Killing Graduation!

**Author's Note:**

> me tagging the relationships like: River said polyam rights!
> 
> This is a sequel, you're gonna wanna read the previous stories or you'll be lost

"Where… the hell are we?"

Makoto opened his eyes slowly, waiting for his vision to stop swimming. The last thing he remembered he was at that party, the one Mukuro threw for their upcoming graduation, and to finally celebrate her return to school after she recovered from what her sister did to her. 

"What?" He put a hand to his aching head and looked around. 

The others were there with him, all waking up as well. It looked as though Sakura and Mondo had been up for awhile already, and were helping others to adjust.

They seemed to be sitting in a dark room of some abandoned building. It looked mostly in disrepair aside from the large television screens on either side of the room and the big metal door blocking their way out.

"Does anyone remember anything?" Kyoko asked, walking to the center of the group.

"Oh, right, yes, I remember everything perfectly," Byakuya replied sarcastically. "That's why I'm looking around in confusion, because I remember everything."

"We were doing a toast," Sakura said a bit more helpfully.

"Yeah, obviously somebody slipped us something," Mondo said. "But what the hell do they want with us?"

Kyoko looked around the room doing a quick headcount and shook her head. "Not they. She."

"What?" 

Before she could explain the televisions flickered to life with a cheerful chiming sound.

"Good evening, class, I hope everyone is ready for a successful semester of killing," an unfamiliar voice said, and as the image on the screen grew clearer they realized the voice appeared to be coming from a black and white teddy bear.

"What the hell?" Leon growled.

"I know, I know," the voice said sympathetically. "You're all just champing at the bit to get started! Who wouldn't wanna have a go at one of their classmates after spending an entire high school career with them? My money is on Togami going first."

Byakuya folded his arms over his chest. "Tch."

"Explain what's going on!" Hina shouted, and Sakura put a hand on her shoulder to keep her from walking towards the screen.

"If you'd give me a chance to speak I would!" The bear roared, baring claws at them. "Now then, if everyone is ready, please listen to the following instructions carefully."

The bear cleared his throat and then looked directly into the camera.

"Rule number one: if you would all look at your wrists you'll see that you're wearing a bracelet."

They all checked their wrists and sure enough there was a black circle of metal around their wrists emblazoned with the same red eye the bear had.

"Try to leave the arena and KA-BLOOM!" The bear laughed raucously. "One explosion and that's all she wrote!"

"These things are gonna explode?" Sayaka asked nervously, playing with the bangle around her wrist.

"Rule two: tampering with the bracelet will also cause it to explode, so mind your fingers pop sensation!"

Sayaka yelped and pulled her hand away.

"Rule three: the headmaster, that is I the illustrious Monokuma, may add new rules at any point. Rule four, the most important rule…" Monokuma chuckled. "Puhuhu… only _seven_ of you will be allowed to live, at maximum. By the time you reach the end of the challenge you will find an exit, an exit that will not open until you have whittled your numbers down to almost half."

"You expect us to kill each other?" Taka bellowed. "We'll never do it!"

"You will if you ever want to leave, and trust me once you see what we have in store for you you'll be begging to get out." Monokuma put his paws in front of his smile. "Stabbing, bludgeoning, drowning, strangling, whatever you choose is fine, just kill each other until the top six… or less… are standing!"

There was chaos for a moment as everyone panicked, but then Kyoko stepped to the front of the crowd.

"You said _almost_ _half of us_ ," she gestured around the room. "But there are fourteen of us here, should be fifteen. Why not just make it an even seven? Why aim for six?"

"I did say that, didn't I?" Monokuma chuckled, and then the floor opened up underneath Makoto.

"Wha…" Makoto barely had time to make a sound of surprise before he fell through the trap door and into the blackness below.

The effect was immediate, everyone gasped or screamed or threatened Monokuma. Kyoko and Byakuya both ran to where the door had been and tried to find the edges to pry it open.

Eventually, Kyoko had to drag Byakuya away.

"There's no use," she said.

"You're just going to give up on him?" Byakuya snapped at her.

"No, calm down and think," she said. "If she wanted him dead she would have shown us, made us panic. We'll find him, but we have to be patient."

"You keep saying she, who is _she_?" Byakuya asked.

"Enough bickering from the lovebirds!" Monokuma yelled. "I've taken your little boy toy hostage in case you get any smart ideas! So let's run a clean race everyone, on your marks…"

Kyoko and Byakuya gave each other a determined look, Sakura took Hina's hand, Mondo and Taka drew closer to each other.

"Get set…"

Chihiro was trembling until Mondo put a hand on her shoulder, Celeste snapped for Hifumi to stand to attention, Sayaka and Leon looked panicked and also looked around for something to use as a weapon.

"Get super set!"

Hiro started praying, Toko mumbled and pulled at her hair, 

"Go!" Monokuma shouted, and the door opened.

Izuru and Sakakura were listening to a fight.

While it wasn't uncommon for them to _watch_ a fight, the pair of them critiquing whatever boxing match happened to be on, neither of them was particularly comfortable with listening to the fight happening a room over.

"They're all adults who can make their own choices," Munakata insisted. "They applied, we accepted."

"You advertised to them! They were all going to go on to do amazing things!" Chisa shouted. "I thought the whole point of the Future Foundation was to protect kids like my students from violence, and chaos, and being used!"

"Well, it's a little late for them, don't you think? At least they can save the next genera-" 

Munakata trailed off, realizing he'd made a fatal mistake telling Chisa that it was _a little too late_ for her former students.

"Too late?" She asked, folding her arms over her chest.

"Oof," Sakakura muttered.

"Too _late_?" Chisa repeated angrily.

"Oof," Izuru agreed quietly.

"People can heal if you give them time and support, you're giving them weapons and salaries!" Chisa stamped her foot. "Just because they're over eighteen doesn't mean they should be considered ready to sign their lives away!"

"You're acting like this is the army," Munakata argued. "They're just a defense team, just in case more ultimates like Junko Enoshima show up."

"You've lost sight of what this project was for," Chisa said. "I… I just can't talk to you right now. I love you, but I am _very angry_ at you right now! I've made my opinions clear."

"Chisa-!"

Chisa stormed back out into the living room, and looked over at the two unwilling eavesdroppers.

"Izuru, you want to go get ice cream?" Chisa asked, clearly just wanting to get out of the house.

"Yes," Izuru said readily, standing and defensively stepping between her and Munakata when he entered the room.

"... stow the eyes, Kamukura," Munakata said.

"Sorry, boss," Sakakura chuckled. "You know junior, better just back off his mom for a bit."

Munakata sighed. "I just wanted to say I love you too, Chisa."

Chisa nodded firmly. Then her and Izuru left.

Izuru studied Chisa carefully as they walked. He was learning to recognize emotions in himself and it helped to study the emotions of others. Not to mention, seeing her so upset at someone she loved was troubling.

She was frowning, one hand gripping her other arm. She was walking without focusing on where they were going and almost missed their turn. Izuru gently took her arm and guided her.

"Oh, thanks." She smiled weakly.

"You're scared for your students," Izuru guessed.

"Yes, very scared." Chisa shook her head. "They're all good kids, with bright futures… hearing they all signed up for this… ultimate defense squad, is disheartening."

"Perhaps they wanted to help prevent further disasters," Izuru said.

"Maybe, but I still don't like it," Chisa sighed.

"I agree." Izuru nodded.

"You do?"

"Your fiance is an idiot."

"Izuru!" Chisa scolded him. "He may be acting like an idiot now but he's a good guy! I don't know what's come over him."

Izuru shrugged. 

"I'm surprised you turned him down to be honest," Chisa said. "Wouldn't this kind of job be interesting for you?"

"Not really. I'm interested in getting a popsicle right now…"

Chisa laughed. "No, seriously, you really didn't want to? I know I said I didn't like the idea but you don't have to turn it down just for my sake."

"I don't want to be used for combat, political gain, or espionage, ever again," Izuru said. "I want to do things for me."

"Well, good for you." Chisa playfully bumped against him, and he bumped her back.

  
  


Makoto fell into a chute that sent him tumbling into what he guessed was an elevator or dumbwaiter.

All he really knew is that he'd been falling and now he was going up.

He also knew that everybody else was in danger.

_I have to help them, they can't kill each other they can't! They won't!_

The door before him finally slid open and let in a light that momentarily blinded him as his eyes adjusted. Before he could try to leave the elevator he felt someone clip something around his neck. Then there was a tug and he tumbled out onto the floor.

"Ow…" he rubbed at his head and then noticed someone offering him a hand. "Mukuro?"

Mukuro smiled softly at him. "Hi, Makoto."

Makoto accepted her hand up, and then realized the thing around his neck was a collar with a dangling leash. "... uhhh…"

"I'm sorry, you still need restraints, I trust you but…" Mukuro sighed. "It's okay, you'll be safe up here."

"What about the others? We have to help them! Did you see? There was a…" Makoto stopped in his frantic explanation as it all fell into place. "... are you doing this?"

Mukuro nodded.

"Makoto," she said. "You were the only one who was ever kind to me… I want to build a world for people like that."

"By killing our friends?" 

"They're not our friends." Mukuro scowled. "Makoto, those people are abusers, criminals, liars, hoarders, misogynists…" she shook her head. "I need some of them alive, but they should be punished along the way. I have to use despair as the way to punish those who bring despair."

"They're our classmates!" Makoto argued. "Mukuro, you have to stop this!"

He knew she'd been on the wrong side of things before, but it hadn't been her fault, right? Junko wasn't around to control her anymore, and she'd seemed so much better with her sister gone, so much kinder.

"But you're different from them, you're kind, you're hope." Mukuro beamed at him. "You don't have to die, or serve in my army of despair, but you have to serve another way."

Makoto took a shaky step back.

"Kids?" Mukuro called, and Makoto watched in surprise as a group of children walked out from behind the throne that sat at the end of the room. 

"I want you to take care of them," Mukuro said. "Teach them to be like you, and I'll teach them to be like me. They need hope and despair, so they can continue our work when we're gone.

"Our w… Mukuro, I can't do this. I have to go help the others," Makoto tried to find a door.

Mukuro watched him sadly and sighed. "I was hoping you'd stay without persuasion but…"

She took a remote from her pocket and pointed it at the large television above the throne. Makoto stared in horror at the image that flashed before his eyes.

"Komaru!" He shouted, running towards the monitor as though he could help her.

His sister was beating on a smooth almost featureless door. There was no sound but it looked like she was screaming.

"Where is she? What did you do to her?" Makoto shouted, tears running down his cheeks.

"She's safe for now," Mukuro said, eyes dark. "But her staying safe depends on you."

Makoto made a choked noise, and fell to his knees. Mukuro hesitantly lay a hand on his head, and stroked his hair. 

"It will be okay," she promised. "Come meet the Warriors of Hope."

  
  


"Okay! Let's try again! We can do this!" Chiaki shouted, pumping her fist in the air. She blew on the whistle hanging around her neck, and the chaos began anew.

“So, Miss Sonia, think the uniform looks any good on me?” Kazuichi asked, leaning against a support pillar and shooting a finger gun at the princess. 

“Oh, I suppose it does?” she said politely. 

“Fool that you are! Relying on mere garb to bolster your dark essence!” Gundham laughed. “Focus your energies on victory, Kazuichi Soda!”

“Don’t sneak up on me! God damn it!” Kazuichi shrieked, and Sonia sighed fondly at her two suitors and their antics. Just then Peko and Fuyuhiko swept down on the attack, knocking Kazuichi off his feet and grabbing Sonia before wrestling her to the floor. Gundham cried out in surprise and darted away. 

“Young master, I would prefer if you kept closer to me during this next exercise,” Peko said, sparring sword in hand. 

“Would you quit it with the master stuff already?” Fuyuhiko groaned. “We’re coworkers now! _Coworkers_.”

“What you both are is my prey!” Gundham decreed, reaching into his pocket and retrieving several of his hamsters. The hamsters leapt from his hand and tackled the two yakuza in the face, knocking Fuyuhiko over and making Peko spin in a circle as she tried to remove the deva currently perched on her glasses.

Nekomaru shook his head at the scene. “No teamwork! No form!”

He was so busy critiquing he didn’t notice Akane hanging upside down from the ceiling beams above.

“Sneak attack!” she shouted, dropping down on his shoulders and flipping the pair of them backwards.

“Hell yeah!” Ibuki cheered, throwing her hands up in the rock on devil’s horns. “Totally metal!”

“No, Ibuki, that’s bad!” Mahiru sighed. “Nekomaru was on our team!”

“Oh,” Ibuki laughed sheepishly. “Whoops.”

Watching it all playout from the platform above the training deck, Chiaki groaned and knocked her head against the guardrail a few times.

“They’re uh… spirited,” Munakata said. 

“Yeah…” Chiaki sighed. 

“Order up!” Teruteru yelled, smacking Akane in the face with a frying pan. She seemed largely unfazed, and lifted the tiny man up by his shirt collar before launching him across the room. 

“We’re so disorganized,” Chiaki said, pulling up her hood. “I’m trying my best but…”

“You’re a good leader,” Munakata reassured her. “They just need some more practice.”

“Eat shit, pig barf!” Hiyoko cackled, tugging on Mikan’s hair.

“B-but we’re on the same team!” Mikan wailed. 

“A lot more practice,” Chiaki said.

As they watched the chaos Chiaki suddenly became aware of a shadowy figure running through the obstacles, taking out her team one by one. They tangled Mikan and Hiyoko together with bandages and a kimono sash, blinded Mahiru with her own camera flash, knocked the imposter and Mitarai’s heads together and then kicked Peko into Fuyuhiko just as they were getting to their feet. 

Munakata sighed and rubbed at his temples. “I’m sorry for this.”

“No, it’s fine,” Chiaki laughed. “I was expecting him.”

Izuru landed by Nagito and grabbed him by the hood, spinning him into a hold. 

“Oh, hello,” Nagito laughed. “Do we always have to meet this way?”

“You haven’t reported for maintenance on your prosthetic,” Izuru said, lifting Nagito’s hand into the air and watching the fingers twitch erratically. “It shows. You damaged it.”

“Maybe a little,” Nagito admitted. “Just… an accident.”

“An accident?” Izuru asked, eyes narrowing.

“I may have… got it caught in a car door,” Nagito said.

Izuru glared at him.

“... I got hit by a car,” Nagito said.

Izuru sighed. “Stop by. Tonight.”

“It’s a date.” Nagito winked.

“Hey, hey!” Chiaki shouted. “Am I invited?”

Izuru shook his head with a small fond smile and climbed up to the viewing platform. He perched on the guardrail, and Chiaki leaned forward to press a kiss to his cheek. 

“Training seems… bad,” Izuru said, and Chiaki frowned. “Sorry, was that insensitive?” Izuru asked, “I’m working on that.”

“No, you’re right,” Chiaki sighed. “I don’t know what I’m doing.”

“I’m sure it’s not your fault.” Izuru glared over at Munakata, who glared right back.

“Are you supposed to be here?” Munakata asked.

“I thought people my age were adults ready to make their own choices.” Izuru studied his nails. “Also, Chisa wanted to visit with Sakakura. Not you. Hm.”

Munakata folded his arms over his chest. “All the emotions to learn. You choose pettiness.”

“Interesting, isn’t it?”

Chiaki looked back and forth between the two of them. “Um…”

“Hey! Is the emo kid arguing with his stepdad?” Akane shouted from the ground floor. Both Izuru and Munakata looked profoundly uncomfortable.   
“I’m going to go find Chisa,” Munakata said. “Maybe… call it a day, Chiaki.”

As he left, Izuru offered Chiaki his hand. She rolled her eyes and took it, making a small squeak of surprise as he pulled her in close and dropped back down to the ground. He set her down and headed for where her classmates were gathering to catch their breath. 

“You all need to control yourselves,” he said. 

“Gee, thanks, great advice!” Fuyuhiko huffed. “Did you show up just to be an asshole, or was it to pick up your dates?”

“Both,” Izuru said, deadpan. 

“U-um, is anybody hurt?” Mikan asked. 

“I have several hamster scratches,” Peko said, finally pulling the hamster from her face. She frowned when it turned to look at her and screeched in fright before running back to Gundham. 

“Okay, level with us Izzy,” Ibuki sighed. “Just how screwed are we?”

“Very,” Izuru said. “You’re so close with each other, failing to work as a team should be impossible, however you continue to indulge in selfish chaos.”

“Jeez, brutal,” Akane sighed.

“Do you have any advice?” Nagito asked. 

“Sparring against each other is ineffectual, have Munakata find you suitable opponents. You do better as a full team, balancing each other out.”

“How inspiring!” Sonia said. “Chiaki, please make note of this!”

“Already done,” Chiaki said with a smile.

Izuru pushed a stray lock of hair behind his ear. “If that is all, I was about to lea-”

“No way! Dude you gotta stay and help us!” Kazuichi wailed. 

“Oh! Yes! You would be a suitable opponent!” Sonia agreed.

“I… do not want to do that,” Izuru said. “It’s boring.”

“C’mon.” Chiaki playfully bumped him with her shoulder. “Going up against a team of ultimates can’t be that boring, right? We’ll try to make it interesting for you.”

“Do it for us?” Nagito pleaded. 

The entire class put on their best puppy dog eyes, and Izuru rolled his. 

“Fine,” he conceded. 

As Izuru began giving the ultimates a challenge, Munakata found Chisa and Sakakura in the breakroom overlooking the arena. They were sitting by the window, watching with exasperated amusement as Izuru vaulted himself over Nekomaru. 

“You came,” Munakata said, addressing the obvious.

“Yeah, but not because I approve of any of this,” Chisa huffed, turning away from him. “I just… needed to talk to you about something.”

“We might have a situation on our hands,” Sakakura agreed.

Munakata took the last empty seat and nodded for them to continue. 

“Apparently, one of the graduating classes has gone missing,” Chisa said. “Class 78.”

“Last seen going out to celebrate, and their parents report that none of them came home,” Sakakura added. “It’s been a few days, and the police have been searching but I think a missing batch of ultimates falls under our… shaky jurisdiction.”

“That is troubling,” Munakata said. “And yes, I doubt the authorities would let us be officially involved. We’re still technically a private organization, we have yet to be recognized by the government.”

“I wonder why.” Chisa watched in dismay as Izuru and Peko sparred down below. She really thought that she and Fuyuhiko were going to legitimize to avoid further violence in their future, they’d seemed really confident of it. Now she heard that Fuyuhiko was using his yakuza ties to help the Foundation, and Peko was practicing fatal blows on her kid. 

“They might be the only ones who can help here,” Munakata said. 

“A child army to find missing children?”

“A young adult task force to find missing teenagers.”

Sakakura sipped his drink and tried to ride out the tension. Somehow, he hadn’t imagined this much bickering when he joined the relationship. It was comically awkward at best and at worst… 

Well, he admired them both so much. He knew they were a good match. The two of them could change the world, and he wanted to be there to support them as they did it. He wished he knew how to support them through this. 

“Hey…” he said, standing and pointing at the window. “Your task force won.”

Chisa and Munakata stood and joined him at the window and saw Izuru flat on his back, glaring daggers up at the students restraining him and the bamboo sword pointed at his throat. 

“I’m sure he let them win,” Munakata chuckled.

“No, they’re really that good,” Chisa corrected him, sounding just a little bit proud. Then she sighed. “You really think they could find the missing kids?”

“You believe in them,” Munakata said, putting a hand on her shoulder. “They took out Izuru Kamukura.”

She put her hand over his, looking sadly down at her students as they celebrated their win. “... I guess I’m really not in charge of them anymore anyway,” she said. 

“You could be. I’ve offered you the job before.”

“I’m a teacher, or a housekeeper, I’m not a commanding officer.”

“They’re your students.”

“You said it yourself, they used to be my students. Now they’re adults making their own choices, right?” Chisa said a bit bitterly. “But I’ll consider it. I’d like to help, and I want to make sure they’re alright… I know they don’t need me anymore but…”

“Would you two lighten up?” Sakakura groaned. “Chisa, you should take the job if only to keep this one in line, Munakata you should listen to her more often.”

Chisa and Munakata both gave him an offended look, but he just rolled his eyes and took Chisa’s hand before pressing a kiss to Munakata’s cheek. 

“Since when are you such a confident decision maker?” Chisa teased. 

“Since you two stopped acting like the leaders you are,” Sakakura grumbled. 

“You remember when he said he’d die for you?” Munakata joined in on the teasing.

“You told him that?”

“You told him I would die for him! It was revenge!”

“Please neither of you die, I prefer you both alive.”


	2. The Present Future

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning for mentions of rape involving Kotoko's backstory, not described just mentioned

Byakuya’s glasses were cracked, it was starting to get on his nerves. His vision wasn’t great to begin with and if his glasses broke any further he was screwed. He was getting tired too, his breath came in ragged as he ran and tried to turn the next corner. He was stopped before he could, Kyoko grabbed the back of his shirt and yanked him back before putting a finger to her lips as a warning to keep quiet.

“-look I’m not saying we kill anyone, we just have to be careful. I heard people are already planning things.”

They heard Mondo’s voice, and Kyoko pulled a small compact mirror from her pocket. She held it so they could see just around the corner where Mondo, Taka, and Chihiro were standing. 

“We just need to protect ourselves. I promised I would get you two out of here,” Mondo continued.

“We can’t stoop to the level of killers!” Taka argued, gesturing widely. “We have to uphold our moral values even if it means-”

“Even if it means death?” Mondo shouted. “I’m not about to lose either of you! You keep your moral values, that’s fine, just let me do what I have to do!”

“Guys…” Chihiro had tears in her eyes. “Please stop fighting. I’m really scared… I know you are too. You’re just worried about each other…”

Mondo and Taka looked a bit shocked and then guilty. 

“We’re worried about you too,” Mondo said. “I’m sorry I just…” he sat down next to Chihiro and hung his head with a sigh. Taka came and sat next to him. 

“I’m sure we’ll make it out of here,” Taka said.

“I don’t think I will…” Chirhiro sniffled. 

“Of course you will!” Mondo put a hand on her shoulder. “I’m not letting anything happen. And besides, who would try to kill you? These are our friends we’re talking about, and you’re like…”

“A kind and gentle soul!” Taka supplied. “They’ll remember that!”

“Mukuro was our friend too,” Chirhiro pointed out, and they all fell quiet.

“Yeah, well, like I said,” Mondo said. “I’m not letting either of you get hurt.”

Mondo reached out a hand to Chihiro, and another to Taka. They both took his hands, and Taka pressed a kiss against the one he was holding. 

Kyoko gestured for Byakuya to follow her, and they walked away from the scene. 

“I’ve narrowed down the possibilities for our location, judging by the buildings in this area,” Kyoko pointed out a few key skyscrapers. “Towa, I think, is the most likely, but it’s strange to have such a wide area left abandoned. It implies that Mukuro has more power than we thought, and it also means we’re more likely to be found. If that many people are missing or relocated it has to be in the news.”

“How does that help us?” Byakuya asked impatiently. 

“It’s hope.”

Byakuya sighed, meeting her gaze. “You sound like him.”

“Someone has to.”

“Can you imagine if he was here?” Byakuya asked. “I’d complain about how my feet hurt and he’d say something like ‘I could try to carry you! I’m not super strong but I want to help you through this!’”

“He’d actually try to carry you too.” Kyoko smiled. 

“She better not have hurt him,” Byakuya growled. “If one ridiculous hair on his head has been touched, I’ll have her disappear from the justice system and face a more fitting punishment.”

Kyoko raised an eyebrow at him.

“Like my bending the rules with money hasn’t helped you on a case or two,” he huffed.

“We’ll find him.”

“We will.”

“In the meantime, we should look for some food. Then find a place to hole up and plan our next move.”

As Kyoko and Byakuya made their way through the city, far above their heads Makoto was facing some trials of his own.

“Super warrior attack!” Kotoko shouted, jumping onto Makoto’s shoulders and whacking his head with a foam sword. “Monaca! Cast a spell on him!”

“Spell of weakness!” Monaca cheered, raising a plastic magic wand. 

“Guys! Come on!” Makoto tried to get Kotoko off his shoulders. “You’re supposed to be eating dinner!”

“You should make food that doesn’t suck,” Masaru laughed, not looking up from his video game. 

“Yeah! You’re not a very good servant!” Kotoko agreed, giving him another bop with the sword. 

“And you’re not a very well behaved kid!” Makoto shot back. 

“We only listen to big sis Mukuro!”

“And big sis Junko,” Monaca said sadly. 

“We’re well behaved for people who matter!” Kotoko said. “Grown ups like you don’t deserve respect! You haven’t shown us you’re safe yet!”

“Safe?”

“Yeah, that you’re not going to hurt us.”

Makoto turned as Nagisa entered the room. Nagisa sat down at the table, and the others ran to join him, though Kotoko grabbed Makoto’s leash as she rolled off his shoulders so that her weight yanked him down to the floor. When he got back up, coughing and rubbing at his throat, they were all sitting down and eating dinner. 

“Have adults hurt you guys before?” Makoto asked. 

“Of course they have,” Nagisa said. “What else do they do?”

“They make it feel like it’s all your fault…” Jataro mumbled. “Like you’re a bad kid.”

“They’re selfish,” Nagisa said. 

“Cruel,” Kotoko agreed. 

Makoto took this all in, and then sat cross legged on the floor before the table. He already knew they’d throw food at him if he tried to sit in a chair. “You guys had bad parents, huh?”

“Parents are always bad, adults are always bad,” Monaca said. “They’re enemies, like Mukuro says. I’d rather die as a kid then grow into an enemy.”

“How do you guys know Mukuro? Or Junko?” Makoto asked. “Why do you listen to them? They’re the same age as me, you know.”

“Don’t talk about the big sisters like that!” Kotoko shouted, slamming her fists on the table.

“Big sis Junko saved us,” Nagisa said. “And Mukuro takes care of us. She made sure the work big sis Junko did wasn’t in vain.”

“She killed our parents for us so they could never hurt us again,” Masaru laughed and stabbed at his food. 

Makoto felt a cold horror grip him. He couldn’t believe it. It had been beyond belief when they heard Junko had started the riots, but Mukuro had always been so quiet. No one had even known they were related at first, despite their similar looks, until Kyoko had deduced the truth. Junko had acted annoyed at being tied to someone as unfashionable as Mukuro. Now Makoto wondered if maybe she was annoyed at her cover being blown. 

“You guys are really okay with her killing your parents?” Makoto asked. “Even if they were bad people, that doesn’t scare you?”

“Of course not!” Kotoko said. 

“It’s what we’re training to do,” Nagisa agreed. “You’re rather dense, haven’t you figured it out already?”

“Maybe we could explain it to him? I don’t think a servant really needs to bother knowing but it could be fun,” Monaca said. 

“We’re helping big sis Mukuro build her army, so we can punish all the enemies of the world…” Jataro said. 

“Hey! No one asked you!” Masaru shouted. 

“It’s true though.” Nagisa stood up and crossed his arms over his chest. “The world is full of enemies, people who deserve to despair. They got to big sis Junko, they changed her, and then they killed her.”

“We’re going to avenge big sis Junko, and we’re going to rid the world of the enemy,” Masaru said. 

“...” Makoto looked sad and thoughtful for a moment, and then he spoke. “I’m sorry you were treated so badly. Whatever your parents did must have been really bad. You probably feel safe with Mukuro, right? I can understand that.”

“You don’t understand anything,” Kotoko said fiercely. “Not a thing.”

Just then the door to the room opened and Mukuro walked in. 

“Big sis!”

The kids gathered around her happily, and Mukuro gave each one of them attention. Makoto waited until she was done talking to all of them. 

“You should go to bed now, you have to be awake early for more training,” she said. 

“Are we gonna learn how to kill people?” Masaru asked.

“Yeah.” Mukuro nodded. “Now go rest.”

The kids all raced off to their bedroom, leaving Mukuro and Makoto alone in silence.

“You killed their parents?” Makoto asked.

Mukuro stared at him with cold eyes, then she gestured. “Come walk with me.”

Makoto wondered for a moment if he should ignore her, but still… he’d known Mukuro for years, and now he realized he’d never known her at all. He was curious, what made someone do this sort of thing?

Makoto followed her, and as they walked she talked to him.

“Have you looked at those kids, really looked at them?” Mukuro asked.

“Uh… what do you mean?”

“Kotoko, for example,” she said. “You’ve noticed her hair is all short and choppy? She cut it herself. I had to stop her from branding her face as well.”

“What?” Makoto was horrified.

“She was lil ultimate drama, and her parents forced her into many acting roles, but that’s not all they forced her to do…” Mukuro’s hand tightened into a fist. “She was abused, Makoto. Over and over again, and they told her it was her fault for being cute. So, she never wanted to look cute again. She thought if she made herself ugly they would stop  _ raping her _ .”

“That’s horrible…”

“Everyone of these kids was abused, neglected, taken for granted, hurt,” Mukuro said, voice growing more emotional as she spoke. “Do you think I was wrong for killing their parents? For helping Junko take them here?”

“... I… I don’t know,” Makoto admitted honestly. “It sounds like you saved them but you also killed people.”

“I’m a soldier. It’s what I do. I become a killer to protect the people that would otherwise be killed,” Mukuro said. “Don’t you see, Makoto? I’m trying to make the world safer for people like those kids, people like you! I am the despair that falls on the enemy, and the rest of you are hope.  _ My _ hope.”

She reached out for Makoto and he stepped back. She looked sad and withdrew her hand. 

“Makoto, I hope you know that I would never hurt you,” she said. “I admire you, so much. I hope one day you can admire me too.”

“... I can’t admire someone who endangered our friends,” Makoto said. “Even if you were right to kill those people, what you’re doing to them isn’t. I don’t care what mistakes they’ve made, you’ve seen them change and grow over the years to become better people! How can you ignore that?”

“Their souls are stained with their misdeeds,” Mukuro snapped. “All they’re fit to do now is fight in my army. That will be their punishment, using their talent to bring despair to the enemies of this world as my Ultimate Despairs.”

“Mukuro…” Makoto took another shaky step back, but Mukuro seized his leash. He fell backwards a bit and found himself suspended solely by her grip on the leash.

“Forget them,” she ordered, before pulling him back up to stand on his own. She turned and started walking away, but paused to look back at him. “Try to get along with the Warriors of Hope, I know they’ll look up to you if you show them the same compassion you showed me.”

Makoto watched her leave and then leaned against the wall with a sigh. He looked out the nearby window and wished he could see his friends, just to know they were okay. 

As he was walking back to the children’s part of the building all the monitors on the walls flickered to life with cheerful chiming. 

“First blood!” Monokuma cheered offscreen, as a camera zoomed in on a pair of bodies.

“No way…” Makoto gasped, covering his mouth with his hands. 

It was Sayaka and Leon, bloodied, their faces contorted into what were probably their final screams. Leon’s head was caved in, and Sayaka held a bloodied rock in her hand. Sayaka’s dress was covered in blood, and Leon’s hand was still curled around the knife in her stomach. 

“They killed each other?” Makoto said in disbelief, feeling sick. 

Across the battlefield the rest of his classmates were seeing the same broadcast as him. Chihiro started sobbing, Toko buried herself further into her hiding place, Celeste sadly shook her head, and Kyoko and Byakuya couldn’t tear their eyes from the screen. 

  
  


Izuru made breakfast that day, and as everyone ate the three adults kept glancing his way.

“Izuru, we could really use your help on this one,” Munakata said. “Chiaki leads a good team, but your talent would help us find those kids so much faster.”

Izuru didn’t respond, just silently picked at his food. 

“You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to,” Chisa said. “But I agree that people need our help, and your help would mean a lot.”

Izuru remained quiet. 

“Just let the man eat,” Sakakura sighed. 

“I don’t need you to defend me,” Izuru replied.

“There, he’s talking now,” Sakakura said. “You’re welcome.”

“I don’t want my talent used anymore,” Izuru said. “I decided that me and my talent would only be for the sake of my future. I’m not a weapon or tool anymore.”

“No one’s asking that of you,” Munakata said. “We wouldn’t be using you.”

“Just my talent,” Izuru said. 

“To help people.” Chisa put a hand over his. 

“It was  _ always _ to help people.” Izuru pulled his hand away and stood. “I’m not hungry.”

“Izuru…”

He ignored Chisa and went to the window, opening it and climbing out. 

“I guess the door was too boring,” Sakakura said. 

“I don’t know what’s up with him lately…” Chisa said. 

“Maybe he’s just growing up,” Munakata said. “Leaving the nest.”

“No, I think it’s more the whole ‘I was a teenage weapon’ trauma thing,” Sakakura said. “He still clings to Chisa’s skirts like a lost baby duck when push comes to shove, but you guys are asking him to do something similar to his old life. Hard to see sense when you just see the past.”

“Seriously, since when are you the level headed one between the three of us?” Chisa asked. “I’m starting to get scared.”

“So how do you suggest we approach him?” Munakata asked.

“Hey, that’s not the issue here,” Chisa said.

“You agree his help will save lives, don’t you think it’s better to ask for forgiveness than permission at this point?” Munakata asked.

“Just when we were starting to get along again,” Chisa sighed. “Kyosuke, I used to think you had vision, now I think your vision is all you see.”

The room grew quiet, and Munakata frowned. 

“I’m sorry,” he said. “You’re right. It’s hard for me to see much else.”

“So listen to us more,” Sakakura said. “We’ll remind you what’s important, and you can show us the path to follow.”

“Yeah, that sounds good.” he smiled. “I’m always at my best working with the two of you.”

“Don’t you forget it.” Chisa grinned. “We should get to work. The whole point of this is to help young ultimates, not force them into helping. If Izuru said no, then he said no. Let’s use our own talents.”

Izuru met Nagito at his place to fix his prosthetic, and was currently enjoying the fact that his home was so empty. It had become a common escape for him, much to Nagito’s delight. Chiaki had also begun to spend a lot of time there, both worrying for Nagito in his solitude and knowing that eventually Izuru would show up. 

It had become a bit of a home for the three of them, enough so that Chiaki felt comfortable entering without knocking. 

She followed the voices to their source as she finished another round of her game, chuckling as she heard Izuru scold Nagito for moving too much.

“Please try not to damage it again,” Izuru said. “I can’t tell if you’re accident prone, or self destructive.”

“Eh… bit of a mix?” Nagito said with a smile and a shrug.

“He’s good at getting into trouble,” Chiaki said, walking into the room and flopping into a chair, never taking her eyes off her game. 

Nagito yelped as Izuru finished reconnecting one of the wires, sending a stab of pain up his arm. 

“Be gentle,” Chiaki scolded him.

“It is unavoidable,” Izuru replied.

“I seriously don’t mind, it’s fine,” Nagito chuckled.

“I think he enjoys it,” Izuru said. 

Chiaki pulled a face at the pair of them, making Nagito laugh and Izuru smile softly. 

As Izuru worked he felt his thoughts become heavier. It was harder to think the more in touch with his emotions he got, which was a good and bad thing. On one hand, the less he actively predicted the movement of the world around him the less bored he got. On the other, the less bored he got the more flawed his performance was. He worried about the person in the middle, out of touch with the emotions he felt and ineffectual with his talent. 

“They want me to help with your assignment,” he found himself saying.

“Will you?” Nagito asked passively.

“No. I don’t think I should be making myself available for use.”

“You have the power to refuse now,” Chiaki said. “Ms. Yukizome and the rest of them would never force you into doing something. The worst they could ever do is try to guilt trip you, and you could just ignore that. Doing one favor for them won’t make you indebted to them.”

“I know… but it makes me feel…” he struggled to find the word. 

“Scared?” Chiaki suggested.

“Betrayed?” Nagito suggested.

“... alone,” Izuru said. 

“Oh, Izuru…” Chiaki paused her game. 

“I don’t know how to make decisions the same way as other people. I can predict people’s actions across several possible outcomes, not one of them will surprise me, and yet…” he shook his head. “It feels harder that way. Knowing that Chisa has a high chance of pushing me to do this, even if she doesn’t, I feel different from her.”

“Of course you’re different from her,” Nagito said. “That’s the whole point! You’re better than all of us! Your talent used the way you prefer… it could bring hope to-”

Chiaki delivered a light karate chop to the top of Nagito’s head, right as Izuru poked at a wire in his hand. 

“He has a point though,” Chiaki said. “Being different isn’t bad. It doesn’t have to make you alone. I used to feel alone and different, but turns out it was the stuff that made me different that let me learn about people. I would never have been able to understand my classmates if I wasn’t different from them… if that makes sense.”

“Compassion,” Izuru summarized.

“Yeah.” Chiaki smiled. “You’ll find compassion the rest of us can’t, because you’ve experienced things we haven’t.”

Izuru smiled again, a rare thing he found happened often when he was in the company of these two. Suddenly he felt a pair of hands on his head, and looked up. Nagito and Chiaki both had a hand on his head, and were smiling at him. 

“... you two are strange.” he blushed. 


	3. The Playing Field

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apparently if you paste in on mobile it keeps your indents unlike on the computer??? Anyway I'm lazy so now you'll be able to tell when I was writing on my computer and when I was using the busted non indenting google docs app
> 
> I'm kinda worried about this chapter I feel like I could have done better with it but.... eh, powering ahead!!! Onto the next!!
> 
> ALSO I think I got my killing game math wrong cause I'm an English major with adhd so I might have to go back and edit that whoops

Kyoko had climbed up onto the hood of a car and was peering out around her. Byakuya was standing nearby, fraught with nervous energy.

“You’re making yourself a target,” he said. “What’s so important about this anyway?”

“The more we know about this situation the better we can control it.” Kyoko pulled her notepad out of her pocket and added to her rough map. “We still haven’t found a boundary, but the rules of the game imply there is one, you can’t have an exit without a boundary.”

“I’m more interested in that exit than the boundary,” Byakuya grumbled. 

“I want to know how she’s enforced this boundary,” Kyoko said. “Mukuro Ikusaba… the Ultimate Soldier… she made this battleground.”

Before Byakuya could reply he heard a sound coming from the empty shop nearby. He adjusted his glasses and walked slowly and curiously over to it. 

“Perhaps she enlisted military help, mercenaries,” Kyoko mused.

Byakuya stepped inside. It was an ordinary convenience store, and it looked empty until he saw one of the shelves wiggle as though someone had bumped it. He tip-toed closer, heart pounding anxiously. 

“Byakuya, do you know anything about Mukuro’s military past?” Kyoko turned and saw the empty space where Byakuya used to be. “... Byakuya?”

She caught a glimpse of him in the window of the store and ran over, just in time to see someone leap out of their hiding spot, wildly waving a baseball bat around.

“GET AWAY!” Toko screamed, blindly attacking. “I’m not some easy target! You can’t push me around!”

“Jesus Christ!” Byakuya fell backwards in surprise, and might have ended up with a caved in skull had Kyoko not jumped in front of him and caught the bat with her hand. 

“Toko!” she said. “It’s us! Calm down.”

“Huh?” Toko opened her eyes and looked in front of her. Her gaze fell on Byakuya and she gasped and dropped the bat. “Oh my god… I’m so sorry! I’m garbage! I’m worse than garbage!” she fell to her knees pulling at her hair. 

Byakuya rolled his eyes and stood up, pointlessly dusting off his clothes which had long ago been ruined by their crawl across the city. “Please don’t, Toko.”

“I almost killed Mast-”

“Seriously. Don’t,” Kyoko agreed, tossing the bat aside and flexing her hand with a slight wince. 

“What are you two doing here? This is my hiding spot!” Toko asked, wide-eyed. 

“The good detective here wanted to scope out the city,” Byakuya said. “I think my chances of survival are better with her so I suppose I am too.”

Kyoko fondly rolled her eyes. 

“C-can I stay with you guys then?” Toko asked, nervously fidgeting with her fingers. “Everyone else has a group except for me… nobody likes me…”

“Fine,” Byakuya sighed. “But you have to be quiet. I don’t want to hear you talking.”

“I’ll be so silent, you can even gag m-”

“Don’t.”

“Have you been here this whole time?” Kyoko asked.

“Sure, why?” 

Kyoko pointed across the street to a tall building with a light on in the window. “Has that light always been on?”

“Um, I don’t know…” she said. “Maybe? I think it went off a few times. Why?”

“None of the other buildings have electricity. Why does that one?” 

“If it has a working shower I don’t really care about the lights, let’s check it out,” Byakuya said. “But… Toko can use the shower first…”

“How generous,” Toko giggled, oblivious to the insult. 

They grabbed a backpack and some food and bottled water, then headed over to the building. They ended up crouched behind a car, peeking out over at the door. There were two people standing outside the door, armed with military grade weapons and wearing riot armor. 

“Armed guards?” Kyoko mused. “We haven't seen anyone else in here yet, and Monokuma didn’t mention anything about the risk of being killed by others. So why are they here, and what’s in that building that they don’t want us getting to?”

“If we had those guns we would be a hell of a lot safer,” Byakuya said, and Kyoko shook her head. 

“We don’t need them. Think about what Makoto would say.”

“To have faith in our friends, I know,” Byakuya sighed. “If I die for the two of you, I’ll file a formal complaint with God.”

“Bold of you to assume you’re going to heaven,” Kyoko joked. 

“How dare you!” Toko hissed. 

“So are we getting in there or not?” Byakuya asked, ignoring Toko.

“I think we should, but the guards pose a problem.” Kyoko shook her head. “Wait, look!”

Shambling out of the shadows, almost beyond belief, were two Monokumas. 

“Robots?” Byakuya gasped. 

“It would appear so.” Kyoko watched as the soldiers pointed at the bots, seemingly talking to each other or maybe cracking a few jokes, before walking off. The Monokuma bots took their place, claws bared and staring out at the city.

“Changing of the guard… does she need the humans somewhere else?” Kyoko asked. 

“Well how do we get past these?” Byakuya asked. 

“Um…” Toko mumbled. 

“Not now,” Byakuya shushed her. “We could go back for that baseball bat.”

“I don’t think it would do much good, the metal plating looks sturdy.”

“Guys?”

“Then we find some other sort of weapon?”

“It would take too long, the human guards might come back and then we would have to readjust our strategy.”

Toko, who had seen the key left in the ignition of the car, who was also realizing that they weren’t going to listen to her, climbed in through the passenger side door. Kyoko and Byakuya jumped away from the car as the engine started, alerting the Monokuma bots. 

Toko squealed as she spun the wheel and aimed the car for the two bears. Then her squeal became something between a battle cry and a panicked scream as she rammed them, turning them to sparking bits and breaking the door down in the process.

“Toko!” Byakuya ran over and tore the door open, while Kyoko made sure the robots were out of commission. Toko was swaying dizzily, blood steadily dripping from her nose.

“Did I do it?” she asked. Then she lifted her hand to her nose and pulled it away. Upon seeing the blood she promptly fainted.

“Christ…” Byakuya groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Well, she solved one problem. Now we have another: who’s going to carry her?”

The answer turned out to be Kyoko, who had Toko on her shoulders as they started their search of the building. 

It appeared to be some sort of apartment complex, though most of the apartments were empty. Kyoko had them take the elevator up to the floor where they’d seen the light on, and immediately they knew which door they were looking for. 

“Break the lock,” Kyoko said, gesturing to lock over the door. 

“Why do I have to do it?”

Kyoko glared at him, and hefted Toko on her shoulders pointedly.

“Right. Fine. Stand back, I suppose.”

Byakuya looked around for something to use, and ended up going into one of the other apartments to get a lamp. He took the end and started bashing at the lock until it finally fell to the ground. 

“If the lock was on the outside, then someone wanted to keep something in there,” Byakuya said. “Do you think maybe… Makoto?”

“It could be,” Kyoko said, allowing herself to hope for his sake. 

Byakuya smiled slightly, and then opened the door. 

He was immediately tackled to the ground. 

“Hiyah!” Komaru shouted. “That’s what you get for locking me up!”

“Oh, but you couldn’t have stopped her?” Byakuya shouted from the ground, wincing in pain.

Kyoko sighed. “We didn’t lock you up, we just got here. Are you... Makoto’s little sister?”

“What?” Komaru took a better look at the people around her. “Oh. Oh my god. Byakuya? Kyoko?” she jumped off her victim, putting a hand over her mouth with surprise. “Oh my god I am so sorry, what are you guys doing here?”

“Actually, I was just about to ask you that,” Kyoko said. 

“I don’t know what I’m doing here,” Komaru stammered. “I was kidnapped, someone pushed me into their car and put a bag over my head, a-and… and I’ve just been here for days now and I haven’t seen another person in so long and…” she sniffled a little. “I’m so glad it’s you guys. Is my brother with you?”

“No, actually…” Kyoko frowned. “We should compare notes, but not here. They might come to check on you.”

They made their way out of the building, carefully stepping around the wreckage at the front door. Komaru looked around herself anxiously as they walked, making it clear to Kyoko that she was as unfamiliar with the area as they were. Or more so, now that she had begun her map. 

They found a place to lay low, with a couch for Toko to rest on. Kyoko explained their predicament so far, and Komaru listened with wide eyes.

“So you don’t know where my brother is?” she asked. 

“No. We were actually… kind of hoping he was the one locked in there,” Kyoko said. 

Before Komaru could say anything, Toko sat straight up, fast as lightning. 

“Feeling better, maniac?” Byakuya asked her. 

“Feeling better?” she cackled. “Feeling better? Better, huh? I’m feeling  _ fantastic _ ! What happened? Did I miss all the excitement, huh? Huh?”

“Toko?” Byakuya took a nervous step back. 

“Ding-dong, you’re wrong!” she continued to laugh. “Well, not  _ wrong _ wrong, just sorta wrong? We’re pretty similar, but I think I’m better looking.” she giggled, kicking her legs in the air. 

“Is she okay?” Komaru asked nervously.

“Oh, is this your other personality?” Kyoko asked.

“Her what?” Byakuya asked. 

“Toko has DID. At least, I assumed so, and this seems to prove it,” Kyoko said. “She has therapy appointments listed in her day planner, and the bruising on her arms that she usually hides with long sleeves indicates abuse. I was going to talk to her about it, see if she was safe, but one day the bruising stopped.”

“Yeah, cause the bastards stopped hitting me!” Not Toko said, waving a fist in the air. “I hit back harder, did what poor lil Toko couldn’t! Oh no, does that make me a total horror movie stereotype? That’s so not P.C.”

“I’m… not following,” Byakuya said.

“Ugh, lemme spell it out for you, Richie Rich,” Not Toko said, poking him in the forehead. “Toko had a shitty family and a couple of bullies, the pressure was too much! So bing-bong, alakazam, here I am! I’m the superhero of her dreams, strong enough to keep her safe from the problems that keep her up at night!”

“And you killed those people?” Byakuya asked.

“What? No! Didn’t you just hear what I said about harmful stereotypes? Course you didn’t, since when do rich people ever listen?” she erupted into another peal of laughter, falling off the couch. “I beat ‘em up, dipshit! Then me and Toko made our big escape! She’s like, totally been living on the streets for awhile now, you didn’t notice? Just smell her!”

Kyoko frowned. “I hadn’t picked up on that… I feel bad…”

“That’s so horrible,” Komaru said, crouching on the floor next to Not Toko and taking her hand. “I wish I could have been as brave as you.”

Not Toko stared at Komaru, and that’s all the others in the room saw. What they didn’t see or hear was the romantic swell of music and pink sparkling background that had popped into existence for Not Toko ever since Komaru took her hand. 

“Wow…” she sighed dreamily. “I can be brave for the both of us, just gimme a chance, babe!” She took Komaru’s hand in both of hers.

“Hm.” Byakuya felt a shift in the universe, like something suddenly wasn’t his problem anymore. 

“So, if your other side is Toko, what do we call you?” Komaru asked.

“Hell if I know! Never had a name before!” Not Toko said. “You could just call me  _ yours _ .”

“I rather not…” Komaru stammered. 

“Well, I dunno!” Not Toko sighed and started tearing through the room. She picked up a children’s book and pointed to it. “There, call me Jill, why the fuck not? Or hell, even Jack! I don’t care! I can be pretty butch if I need to be!”

“Well, all I care about is that you say you can hold your own,” Byakuya said, folding his arms over his chest. “So I guess that means you can protect us.”

Suddenly Jack sneezed, and froze.

“... w-what the h-hell just happened?” Toko asked. “Am I dead?”

“Great…” Byakuya sighed. “The not useful one is here.”

Kyoko elbowed him sharply in the ribs. 

Izuru walked into the room just as the briefing was wrapping up, and glared as Munakata gave him a surprised but pleased smile. 

“So… we’ll give Chiaki any intel we come across, but for now just start searching, and remember to report back to us before you act on anything,” Munakata said. The gathered ultimate task force started talking amongst themselves, so Munakata approached Izuru.

“I could repeat the briefing if you want,” he said.

“I know more than you,” Izuru said, pushing past him. 

“... right,” Munakata sighed, wondering if there was anyway possible to get that guy to like him. 

“You came.” Chiaki smiled. She was perched on a table, and patted the space next to her. Izuru joined her, and was quickly overrun with questions.

“Hey, are you like joining the team now or-?”

“Do you know where we should start? Please, we desperately need your help!”

“Do you not have to wear the uniform? Man, that’s so not fair!”

“How much are they paying you? I wanna compare wages.”

“Guys,” Chiaki chuckled, noticing Izuru becoming an overworked computer at her side. “Give him some space. He’s just going to help us out a little.”

“So then, boss, what’s our first move?” Fuyuhiko asked her. 

Chiaki looked thoughtful a moment, then she nodded. “We should go to where they were having their party. See if there’s anything the police missed.”

“You got ultimate cop up there?” Fuyuhiko asked, gesturing to Izuru’s forehead. 

Izuru ran a self conscious finger over the scar his hair barely concealed. “Yes.”

“Huh, amazing the two of us get along so well then,” Fuyuhiko joked.

As it turned out, their destination was back at their old school. Class 78 had been celebrating their upcoming graduation in their homeroom. Everything had been left the way it was, which was spotless. You couldn’t even tell there had been a party, there were no leftover plastic cups or any trash, not even crumbs. 

Izuru looked around the scene, eyes narrowing. “... a professional. Someone who knows how to make people disappear."

"We kinda brought you along to tell us something we didn't know," Fuyuhiko said.

Izuru furrowed his brow and kept looking. 

Chiaki watched him approach the doorway and kneel there a moment.

"Find something?" She asked.

He showed her a bit of black fiber that had been caught on the doorway. 

"From their clothes?" She asked.

"Possibly. A lot of people have been in this room."

He passed it to Sonia, who had volunteered to keep track of any evidence.

He moved to the window and stared out of it a moment before opening it and climbing outside.

"A-ah! You'll get hurt!" Mikan shouted.

Izuru ran a finger over the scratched area where something had rubbed against the side of the building. They'd come in through the windows from… the roof? Why?

"Dude, you're giving Mikan a heart attack," Kazuichi said, and the as Izuru vanished from view climbing to the roof: "HEY! Now you're giving me a heart attack!" 

There was still a sign of where they'd attached the rappel lines, as well as several stubbed out cigarettes.

He picked one up and studied it, it was a foreign brand.

Kazuichi yelped as Izuru climbed back through the window.

"Class registry." Izuru held out his hand expectantly, and Chiaki brought him the file.

He flipped through it a moment, and then stopped on one file in particular.

"Her." He handed it back to Chiaki.

"Ikusaba? What about her?"

"It was her."

"Izuru, we need you to explain," Chiaki said gently, and Izuru looked a bit embarrassed.

"She's a soldier, served overseas with a mercenary group. There were multiple people here, had to be to move so many students, and to smoke so many foreign cigarettes. Their movements were calculated, she has the connections, she has a motive. Her sister."

"That was kinda jumbled, but I think I get it," Akane said. "You've gotta have as much adhd as me and Kaz, dude."

"Wait, wasn't she expelled or arrested or something?" Ibuki asked.

"No." Nagito shook his head, and frowned at his feet. "She said her sister used the drug on her. They found enough of it in her system to believe her, and she was out around the same time as Mikan."

Mikan wrapped her arms around herself, tears welling in her eyes.

"No one watched her?" Izuru asked. "No one suspected?"

"The school protected her. They wanted as few students to blame and as many in class as possible," Nagito spat, his frown turning into a glare.

"What is the point of the Future Foundation if not to watch students like her and protect her classmates?" Izuru asked.

"That's what we're doing now," Chiaki said. "Just… a little late."

She was feeling sick. She didn't like to think about the students that had been sent to rehabs and prisons for their part in the riots, not when she got off unpunished. Her classmates had refused to tell on her, and so she'd gone home and lived her life so… normally.

Which was too abnormal.

All of this was abnormal.

"So, we have a who, and a how, but now we need a solid why and a clear where," Nekomaru said.

"If she's still working with Fenrir, then we can track them down," Izuru said.

"It's a start," Peko said.

As they left the classroom, Izuru noticed Nagito and Chiaki lagging behind to talk to each other. They seemed upset, which confused him, so he hung back to wait for them.

"Is something wrong?"

They looked at him like he'd just spoken another language.

"It's hard hearing about that stuff again," Chiaki said.

"Oh. Right." Logically he understood trauma, but in the moment it was hard for him to understand its effects. It made people slightly more unpredictable, and he'd never experienced such a thing himself.

"You don't feel bad remembering it?" Chiaki asked, as if prompted by his thoughts.

"No. I survived. The people important to me survived."

"You saw me saw off my own hand, no pun intended," Nagito pointed out. "And you almost died. You really feel  _ nothing _ about that?"

"No flashbacks? No bad days? No nightmares?" Chiaki added.

"No. I feel fine, and I don't dream."

"You don't dream?" Chiaki's brow furrowed.

"I haven't had a dream in a little over half a year."

"That's… a little concerning, I think?" She said. "You're supposed to… aren't you?"

"Are you blocking them out?" Nagito asked.

“No.”

Chiaki and Nagito shared a look, and Izuru noticed them both becoming visibly upset. Nagito rubbed at the spot where his prosthetic met skin. 

“I still feel sick thinking about it…” he said quietly.

Chiaki nodded. 

“... I’m sorry,” Izuru said. 

“That’s why we’re doing this, you know?” Chiaki said. “I want to make amends… and make sure no one is ever hurt the way I was hurt.”

“Yeah,” Nagito agreed. “I’m getting tired… of expecting others to give me hope. I wanted to give hope to others.”

“I guess I can see the point of it.” Izuru’s brow furrowed. If Nagito and Chiaki chose this future because of their shared past, their pain, then what about his future? He didn’t see it so plainly, future or past. He wished he had as clear a path, though he felt guilty for wishing that considering it was their trauma that had set them on it. 

Makoto was kneeling on the floor between two Monokuma bots, his heart pounding with fear. 

Just in front of him Mukuro was training their newly shared charges. 

“Nagisa! Keep your guard up!” she shouted, knocking the baton from his hands. Masaru jumped from one of the platforms behind her, trying to land on her back. Mukuro stepped out of the way without breaking a sweat, and he hit the ground hard. 

“Don’t hesitate!” she told him. 

Jataro ran towards her with a shout, but tripped over his sleeves. 

Monaca was next, she attacked from behind with a swipe of her baton. Mukuro swung back to block her blow, then hit her and sent her flying. 

“You have to be strong! If you’re strong then you can’t be hurt,” she said. 

Makoto suddenly realized that Kotoko was sneaking just behind him. Next thing he knew she had her baton pressed into his throat.

“Big sis!” she shouted. 

Mukuro turned around, and though for the smallest second Makoto saw worry in her eyes, it was soon replaced by such obvious pride. 

“Good,” she said, nodding, as the other warriors of hope got up and winced at their bruises. “Good. I’m bigger and stronger than all of you, you have to be smarter than me too. If you can’t take me on alone, take me on as a team. If you can’t work as a team, get creative. Kotoko won this round because she was smart.”

Kotoko beamed at the praise, pulling her baton away.

“Makoto will make you lunch now,” Mukuro said. “Practice for next time.”

The Monokuma bots followed her as she left, one of them catching her baton as she tossed it aside. 

As soon as the door was closed behind her all the other children turned to stare at Kotoko. 

“Show off…” Masaru spat. 

“You’re just jealous,” Kotoko said. 

“Any of us could have done that…” Jataro mumbled, sounding a little uncertain of what he was saying.

“No, only Kotoko could have,” Monaca said with an icy smile. “She’s the fighter, but she doesn’t really like fighting, does she?”

“I do!” Kotoko shouted. “I’m going to be a soldier just like big sis Mukuro!” 

“You could never be a soldier,” Monaca tittered. “Soldiers have to kill people, and Kotoko, you’re just too…”

“Monaca, don’t.” Nagisa took a step closer to her. 

“Too gentle,” Monaca said, hiding a grin behind one hand.

Kotoko froze. 

“Monaca…” Nagisa said. “You know we don’t use that word around her.”

“A true soldier wouldn’t be so afraid of a word,” Monaca said innocently. “Remember what big sis said? You have to be strong so you don’t get hurt. Maybe if Kotoko was stronger than those nasty grownups wouldn’t have-”

“Stop!” Kotoko screamed, covering her ears. 

“Hey, what is going on?” Makoto intervened, he couldn’t follow the conversation but he could see from Kotoko’s reaction that it wasn’t just childish bickering anymore.

“We don’t say that word around Kotoko,” Nagisa told him. “It reminds her of the adults that hurt her.”

“I’m just helping her to get stronger!” Monaca said.

“No, you’re not!” Makoto argued, the pieces falling into place and his horror growing. “Monaca, Kotoko looks up to you! She’s your friend! If someone cares that much about you, you protect them! You don’t exploit their weaknesses! You can’t distract people from your fear by terrorizing Kotoko!”

Monaca’s smile faded. “I’m not afraid.”

“I know you are,” Makoto said. “Because what you just did was  _ cruel _ . But you’re not a cruel person, right? Don’t you all want to make the world a better place? Get rid of the people who were cruel to you? If you hurt each other like this, then you become your own enemy.”

The kids looked up at Makoto in stunned silence, and then suddenly he felt a weight leaning on him. He looked down and saw Kotoko clutching the hem of his jacket, turning her face into the fabric and sobbing quietly. He knelt down.

“Is it okay if I touch you?” he asked, and she shook her head violently. “Okay. Take a deep breath. You’re safe here, you’re safe with me and your friends and Mukuro. You just did really good in training, remember?”

“He’s right,” Nagisa said. “We won’t let anyone hurt you.”

“Yeah, we need our fighter,” Masaru said. 

Monaca huffed, looking guilty and frustrated and confused as she glared down at her feet.

“It was really smart using me as a hostage,” Makoto said. “I was actually really scared, you’re really tough.”

“Yeah?” Kotoko looked up at him, sniffling. 

“Yeah,” he said. 

“Should we be listening to an enemy…?” Jataro asked.

“He’s not an enemy, dummy,” Kotoko said. “Big sis Mukuro said he was gonna take care of us, remember? So he’s a soldier too!”

“N-no, I’m not really a soldier,” Makoto stammered. “I’m just… a guy…”

“You gotta be  _ something _ ,” Jataro said.

“I thought I was the servant?” Makoto joked weakly, though apparently it was enough to get a giggle out of the kids. “Seriously though, I’m just me.”

“Maybe he can be our big brother,” Masaru suggested with a grin. 

“Ugh, no way,” Monaca huffed. “He’s the servant.”

“Servant works for now,” Nagisa said. “... but we should remember he’s important to Mukuro.”

“Hey, are you gonna make us lunch now?” Jataro asked. 

“Sure.” Makoto stood back up. “What do you guys want?”

“Milkshakes!” they all cheered as one.

“You can’t have milkshakes for lunch.” Makoto put his hands on his hips, the picture of a stern babysitter. “You can have milkshakes  _ with _ lunch.”

The cheering continued.

  
  


Chihiro shivered, and wrapped Mondo’s coat tighter around herself. Taka sat next to her, looking uncharacteristically tired. 

“Hey… you guys hear something?” Mondo asked, standing up and peering about. 

“I don’t think…” Chihiro paused. “Wait… footsteps? Is someone coming?”

Mondo kept looking, and as he saw the source of the sound his eyes widened. 

“Guys, get up!” he shouted, dragging Taka to his feet and pushing him forward. “Go! Get moving!”

They didn’t have to ask him what had him scared, because at that moment about a dozen Monokuma bots came into view, running at them with claws bared. 

They kept running, gasping for breath and hearts pounding, until Chihiro tripped and fell. 

“N-no!” she screamed, throwing her hands up over her face. 

“Chihiro!” Taka shouted. 

Mondo grunted, and turned on his heel to run back for her. As the first Monokuma bot leapt for her, he slammed a fist into it. He managed to knock it back, but he’d shattered the bones in his hand in the attempt. He cried out in pain, and then reached for the nearest thing he could find, an abandoned tire iron on the street. He slammed it into the next bot, denting its head. 

He heard a choking sound, and looked in horror as one of the bots lifted Chihiro into the air. She was impaled on its claws, and his coat fell from her shoulders as she coughed up blood. Mondo ran for her, but a pair of bots tackled him to the ground.

“No!” Taka screamed, running for them.

“Don’t!” Mondo ordered, gesturing for him to step back. “Get outta here!”

Taka kept running for them, and Chihiro’s lifeless body hit the ground as the bot that attacked her turned its attention to Mondo. For a second that felt like a lifetime, Mondo and Taka’s eyes met. 

“Run,” Mondo said. 

Then the bots started to tear him apart. 

Taka watched in horror, and when the bots turned to him he had to force himself to run. He told himself he had to, because Mondo told him to. He kept running, and didn’t look back, until the bots weren’t following him anymore. 

He sank to the ground, sobs wracking his body. He curled in on himself and slammed his fist into the ground until it bled. 

“No…” he whispered. 

A chime rang out across the city, and at once every television flickered to life. 

“Uh-oh, too slow!” Monokuma cackled. “You guys weren’t killing fast enough, so I had to get my claws on a couple of ya! Bye bye, biker! And hey! Anyone wanna try turning the programmer off and back on again? Remember, you’re supposed to be killing each other! If you don’t, then  _ I’ll _ pick who lives or dies! Make your choice!”

Monokuma’s voice faded out, but the image of Mondo and Chihiro’s bodies remained on the screen for the next hour.


	4. What Comes Before the Fall

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you so much for the comments I don't usually reply to all of them but just so you know it's the comments that keep me writing I appreciate every single comment and share I get! <3

The search for Fenrir was going slowly, but it was going.

They were an elite mercenary group, they wouldn’t be easy to trace, however there had been a number of random murders with seemingly no motive that Izuru deemed too clean to be anything but professional killers. 

“The connection is obvious,” Izuru said, looking up at the pictures on the screen.

“... is it?” Akane tilted her head to look at them from another angle.

“Of course,” Peko said. “It starts with these two here. Tokuichi and Haji Towa.”

“The other killings were clean, efficient,” Izuru said. “These were brutal, with signs of torture. Then there’s the matter of where the others were found.”

“All within walking distance of the Towa bridge,” Peko said. “The bridge that apparently, right now, is under some sort of construction. Someone is trying to keep people away from the island.”

“The people killed all had close relatives in Towa,” Izuru said. “They were the kinds of people who would know right away if something was wrong, and wouldn’t be dissuaded by construction signs.”

“This reasoning seems a bit flimsy,” Munakata said. “Are you suggesting that someone has kidnapped those students, then brought them to the city, and then to keep it a secret is keeping people from the entire island?”

Izuru turned towards him, eyes narrowing. He approached slowly, like a cat with a mouse in its sights.

“If I’m correct, which I am, Mukuro Ikusaba is behind this. An ultimate student, a direct relative of the girl that one year ago destroyed the campus, drugged an army into submission, and would have been able to kill me were it not for her sadism and need for entertainment.” Izuru glared down at Munakata. “I’m tired of you underestimating your opponents. Your incompetence is responsible for her actions.”

Munakata stood up. “I processed Mukuro’s return to society because of Chisa’s request that I help the students, because of my goal for this foundation to help those students.”

“You didn’t watch her?” Izuru asked. “Didn’t suspect?”

“If I suspected every person Junko drugged and ordered to kill, there’d be a few people missing from this table right now,” Munakata countered. 

Izuru raised an eyebrow. “So… it’s  _ their _ involvement you remember?”

“Alright, enough.” Fuyuhiko shouted. “We’re trying to do a job here, not make the whole goddamn room uncomfortable with your bickering.”

Munakata managed to look angry and ashamed. Izuru just looked at his feet. 

Fuyuhiko looked over to Chiaki and then Mikan, both of them were pale. He shook his head. 

“Listen, Munakata, you hired us to do this so let us work,” he said. “Don’t get pissy because Izuru saw something you didn’t. Izuru, if you’re gonna be here, at least act like he’s your boss.”

“He isn’t.” Izuru crossed his arms over his chest sullenly. 

“Look, can we just go look and see?” Fuyuhiko sighed. “We have drones, right? Send ‘em over Towa, see what’s up.”

“Way ahead of you, dude,” Kazuichi said, leaving his chair and heading for the door. Most of the others followed his lead, leaving the conference room. Izuru watched Chiaki approach out of the corner of his eye.

“You still want to work for this man?” Izuru asked. 

“... Izuru, he’s not wrong…” she said. “I could have killed you. He did give me a second chance to make things right.”

“What he said didn’t bother you?”

“It bothered me, but I was just going to move past it.” she shook her head. “I think it bothered you more.”

“Munakata doesn’t bother me.”

“I think he does. I think a lot more things are bothering you than you know.” Chiaki shrugged sadly at him and then left the room. 

Izuru watched her go, confused. He tried to follow her, he wanted to ask her what she meant, but Fuyuhiko was waiting outside for him.

“Let’s walk,” he said. 

  
  


“Chiaki is a good leader, and I had to step in for her today.” Fuyuhiko shook his head. “What Munakata said was way outta line, but you made it worse. You’ve been really angry lately, you know that?”

“I have not.”

“Look, I know not being in touch with your emotions is kinda your thing, but I know pissed when I see it,” Fuyuhiko said. “A lot of us are getting therapy through the Foundation, you ever think about something like that?”

“I’m the ul-”

“Ultimate therapist, yeah I know, great.”

“Is Chiaki mad at me?”

Fuyuhiko was surprised at how his voice sounded, strangely vulnerable. He looked over, and Izuru was frowning. 

“I… don’t know, buddy.” Fuyuhiko rubbed the back of his neck. “I mean, probably not. She’s just messed up about that whole thing. And you act like it never happened.”

“Hm.”

“None of us like thinking about it, but we have to or else things just get worse. You get angry. I got angry when my sister was killed, I did a lot of things I shouldn’t have done. That anger just came from grief and I was basically a huge dick until I was able to grieve properly.”

“I don’t think you’re a huge dick.”

“Yeah, cause I went to therapy, dumbass.”

Izuru sighed and rubbed at his eyes, feeling tired. “It sounds like Munakata needs a lot of therapy.”

Fuyuhiko laughed. 

  
  


Mukuro paced back and forth, watching the screens at the end of the room. Her former classmates were spread out throughout the city, and none of them were planning to kill the other. 

Sayaka and Leon had been perfect, then she’d had to step in and kill two herself. By that count, three more had to die for the exit to be revealed, but more could die before they reached it. 

She wondered how Junko would do this, how she would motivate them to kill. She’d thought it would be simple, she knew they were bad people who would turn on each other. Somehow, instead, they seemed to have just separated into different groups and were taking care of each other. 

The door opened, and two of her subordinates walked in with Makoto trailing nervously behind them.

“Thank you for coming,” she said.

“I didn’t have much choice,” he replied quietly.

She waved the mercenaries off, and continued pacing.

“How would you do it?” she asked.

“Do what?”

“Give them hope for escape.” she pointed to the screens. “I can’t make them kill each other out of despair. How would you give them the hope to try anything?”

“I’m not going to help you with the killing game,” Makoto said in dismay.

“No, I wouldn’t ask you for that, I just-” she took a deep breath. “I need you to balance me out. I can’t do things alone. I need you to tell me what to do here.”

“Did… Junko tell you what to do all the time?” 

“It doesn’t matter, she’s gone. You’re here now, it’s just us.” she looked at him desperately. “Help me.”

He felt bad for her, she looked so lonely and lost. He didn’t agree with what she was doing, and he was scared of her but somehow he couldn’t bring himself to be mad at her. He knew he should be, he knew she was behind all the death and that she was keeping him as a prisoner but she was asking for his help.

“You did all this alone,” he pointed out. “You didn’t need her help or mine. I don’t think you should have done all of it but I know you have good intentions. You helped the kids, you kept them from getting hurt again… but I think stuff like this is still hurting them and you.”

Mukuro listened wide eyed, drawing closer like he was a fire in the middle of a snowstorm. 

“You keep telling them they have to be strong so they won’t get hurt, but I don’t think they were hurt because they were weak. I think they… and you, were just hurt because someone else was cruel. If you keep blaming your weakness nothing will ever change.” Makoto shook his head and shrugged. His eyes fell on the screens, and he saw Byakuya and Kyoko talking to each other, a conversation he couldn’t hear. “They were hurt too, and they had to accept that the people that hurt them didn’t have a good reason, and even if they did it didn’t matter. They have that hurt, and they have to carry it everyday, but they get help from people who care about them and don’t spread their hurt around on purpose.”

“You really care about them.” Mukuro leaned forward and pressed her forehead against his shoulder with a frown. 

“I…” suddenly Makoto saw another figure enter the frame. “Komaru?”

Mukuro stiffened, one of her hands wrapping around his collar. “Yes. They broke her out of the safehouse I had her in. She’s been in danger ever since.”

“No.” Makoto shook his head. “They wouldn’t do anything to put her in danger, s-she went with them. I know her. She’s tough, she probably wanted to help o-or to be free.”

“I’m sorry, I tried to keep her safe for you,” Mukuro said. “I know I used her as a hostage, but I thought maybe someday she could come here, stay with us instead.”

Makoto tried to pull away, and was stopped by her hold on his collar. “You have to get her out of there.”

“You think she’s in danger?” Mukuro asked.

“She’s in your killing game!” Makoto shouted. “Of course she’s-”

“So you think your friends are dangerous?”

“I… no, I…” tears welled up in Makoto’s eyes, and he twisted his leash in his hands. 

“I want to keep her safe, but I can’t do that unless I know who can be trusted,” Mukuro said. “If I sent people in after her, it could scare them. They might hurt her.”

“They wouldn’t do that…”

“There’s another way,” she said. “I could tell them, whoever brings her here first can leave. She’d be safe… and the game would go on…”

She circled him, running her hand across his shoulders and back before cupping his cheek. “I’ll keep her safe, don’t worry.”

She walked over to the control panel, and before she started she turned back to him again.

“Thank you, by the way,” she said. “I heard what you did from Kotoko. I knew you’d be good for those kids, I don’t know what I would do without you.”

Makoto looked at his partners up on the screen. Kyoko was smiling at his sister. Would Mukuro even listen to him if he told her not to do this? Would it hurt anyone if she did? How was he supposed to make sure they would all be safe?

He thought about Kotoko. He could keep her safe at least, and the other kids. 

He left the room, heading towards them. 

  
  


_ Ding, dong, dong, ding! _

“One of these things is not like the others…” Monokuma chuckled. “We’ve got a runaway hostage, and it’s the mini-Naegi!”

A picture of Komaru flashed up on every screen across the city. 

“I’ll give you this one for free,” Monokuma said, pounding a fluffy fist into the desk. The screen turned to an image of the building where Mukuro was running the game. “Bring me the girl and you get to go free! She better be alive, but you can kill anyone who gets in the way of you bringing in the bounty!”

The screens all flashed off. 

“Oh god.” Komaru covered her mouth. “Why does it want me?”

“She has Makoto, she must be using you to control him,” Kyoko said.

“We’re obviously not bringing her, right?” Byakuya said. “That would be like tossing her to the wolves.”

“Y-yeah, I’m not for it.” Toko chewed at her thumbnail. She’d been attached to Komaru’s side since they met, and was now basically cowering behind her.

“Of course, we won’t turn her in,” Kyoko agreed. “But others might come for her. We have to get somewhere safe before they do.”

“It’s a little late for that, hm?”

They turned around in surprise to see Celeste and Hifumi walking up to them. Hifumi was holding a metal pipe and wearing a sneer. Celeste put a hand on his shoulder and then looked at them. 

“We’ll be taking Miss Naegi now,” she said with a friendly grin and cold eyes. 

Kyoko shook her head. “You can’t do that. Think about this-”

“I have thought about it, and I’m tired of sleeping on the ground!” she said, her smile slowly twitching into a growl. “You hand the fucking girl over right now, or we’ll pull her away from your cold bodies!”

“Better do as she says,” Hifumi said, approaching with the pipe. “That’s what I do.”

Kyoko put herself between them and her friends, but she knew that without a weapon she wouldn’t be able to stop Hifumi. 

She was right, the scuffle lasted seconds and ended with Byakuya on the ground, his glasses knocked aside, and Kyoko pushed back against the wall. Toko tried to fight Hifumi off, but he pushed her over and then swung Komaru over his shoulder.

“Put me down!” she screamed, kicking and pounding on his back. 

Kyoko ran after them, and Celeste sighed and gestured for Hifumi to hand her the pipe. 

“Back off!” she swung at Kyoko, hitting her shoulder and sending her crumpling to the ground.

“Oh no, oh no, oh no,” Toko stammered, grabbing at her hair. 

“We gotta go,” Hifumi said, starting to run off the direction they’d come. Celeste spared them one last look before running after him. 

“What the hell was that?” Byakuya grasped around for his glasses. “How did we let that happen?”

Kyoko gasped in pain, holding her shoulder. 

“Shit!” he ran to her side and tried to examine it. “I… I don’t know how to fix this!”

“Toko, you have to go after them,” Kyoko said. 

“N-no!” Toko closed her eyes and shook her head. 

“Byakuya can’t see an inch from his face, and I can’t fight, it has to be you!” she shook her head, gritting her teeth against the pain. “Please.”

Toko groaned, pacing back and forth. 

“Fuck this,” Byakuya huffed. While searching for his glasses his hand had reached a bit of broken glass, just another part of the city in disarray. “Toko, look at me.”

“H-huh?”

He sliced his hand open and waved it in her general direction.

“B-blood!” she squeaked, and promptly passed out.

Kyoko looked at him in furious disbelief. 

“... what? The other one is more useful,” he said. “I’ll go wake her up.”

  
  


“Let me go!” Komaru kept shouting and struggling.

“Pipe down!” Celeste shouted. “You’re going somewhere safe, and so are we, so shut up!”

“Miss Celeste, she’s really starting to hurt me…” Hifumi complained. 

“Do I have to do everything myself?” she snapped and gestured for him to put her down. She passed him the pipe again and grabbed Komaru by the shoulder, marching her forward. “Don’t even think about hitting me, I’m a lot meaner than he is.” she pressed the tip of her finger ornament against Komaru’s neck, it wasn’t a true weapon but it was sharp enough to make her regret any funny business. 

“Are we getting close yet?” Hifumi asked.

“Shut. Up!” 

“Unhand her!”

They whipped their head around in surprise to see Taka standing in the middle of the street, pointing at them. 

“Trading an innocent life for your own? Is this the sort of behavior our class will display?” he shouted. 

“Stay out of it, hall monitor…” 

“I refuse to stay out of it!” Taka walked closer. “All we have left is each other and the common human decency to look out for each other. I-It’s all…  _ I _ have left.” he struggled against tears. “If you take another step I will be forced to stop you.”

Celeste studied him, then she rolled her eyes. “Hifumi? Kill him.”

“No!” Komaru struggled, and Celeste grabbed her tightly and held her in place. 

Hifumi walked closer, tapping the pipe in the palm of his hand threateningly. “Don’t make me do this…”

“You’re the only one making you do this,” Taka said. 

“Run!” Komaru shouted.

Taka thought about Mondo going back for Chihiro. “No,” he said, getting into a fighting stance. “I won’t run.”

Komaru watched in horror as the fight quickly went Hifumi’s way, and he caved in the side of Taka’s head with the pipe. Blood splattered up onto his face, and he dropped the pipe so he could clean his glasses on his shirt.

“I’m so glad we’re getting out of here…” he said, voice shaking. “Nobody else better stand in our way. We’re getting out of here.”

“Yes, we’re getting out of here,” Celeste said. “Take Komaru for me?”

Hifumi walked over and took Komaru’s arm as Celeste retrieved the pipe. She looked over at Hifumi as she lifted it. “Your service was invaluable, it really is too bad. Monokuma only needs one person to deliver the hostage.”

Before Hifumi could ask what she meant, she hit him hard over the head. He fell, dragging Komaru down with him. Celeste dragged her back up to her feet and held the pipe threateningly. 

“Walk,” she snarled.

Komaru saw something out of the corner of her eye, and nodded. “Wait, my shoe is untied. Can I tie it?”

“No!” Celeste said. “Just walk!”

“If I trip it will waste your time!” 

“You’re wasting my time right now!”

“Please, what if I hurt myself real bad, and this uh… Monokuma gets mad and decides not to let you go?” Komaru watched as the figure drew nearer.

“God, you’re annoying, just-”

Celeste was cut off as Jack collided with her, tackling her to the ground. 

“Ugh, I got goth all over me!” she cackled. 

“Wha… who?” Celeste struggled to get back up, reaching for the pipe, but Jack grabbed it and tossed it away with a throw that would have made Leon jealous.

“C’mon, Komaru!” Jack grabbed her and tossed her up to catch her bridal style. “We got an invalid and a blind man to get back to!”

“I’m not just letting you go!” Celeste shouted.

Jack kicked her legs out from under her.

“Did you see that?” she laughed. “Komaru, did you see?”

“I-I saw!” Komaru said, throwing her arms around Jack’s neck. “Can we go now?”

“Ugh, so pushy! We’re already fighting like an old married couple!”

Celeste swore and pounded her fist into the ground as they made their escape. 

“The police have been notified, but apparently they’re meeting with resistance by the bridge,” Munakata explained, walking through the headquarters with Chisa and Sakakura on either side of him. “Izuru was right, it’s Fenrir. They tried to send in helicopters, but they’re being shot out of the sky. Since they haven’t been able to make it in yet, they asked the higher ups and we have approval to go in.”

“You sound way too excited about this,” Sakakura said. 

“What makes you think they can get in if helicopters can’t?” Chisa asked. 

“Kazuichi’s drones found a small private dock, it’s not guarded and Izuru will be with them, he’s a perfect match for this girl.”

“For…” Chisa stopped in her tracks. “Kyosuke, she  _ stabbed _ him last time, she almost killed him.”

“He was distracted, and he won’t be distracted this time, right?” Sakakura said.

“Right,” Izuru answered, and Chisa and Munakata nearly jumped out of their skin in surprise.

Sakakura hid a grin behind his hand. 

“I was demonstrating my stealth,” Izuru said. “We’ll make it in.”

“I’m going with you,” Chisa said.

“No, we just discussed distractions,” Izuru said. “I would prefer it if you weren’t… in danger.”

“Well, I feel guilty and warm and fuzzy now,” Chisa sighed. 

“I would honestly prefer to go alone,” Izuru said. “It would be more efficient, and then no one would get hurt.”

“You’re not going in alone,” Munakata said. “You’re good, but you’re one man.”

“I’m not good, I’m perfect,” Izuru said, his hands twitching at the thought of facing Mukuro again. 

“You’re not perfect, you’re twenty,” Sakakura snorted. “Look, everyone needs help. Okay?”

“He would know,” Chisa teased, holding onto his arm. “He’s the original loner.”

Izuru’s neutral face barely crossed the border into annoyed, and he walked ahead of them. Sakakura gave Chisa an amused look and then quickly followed after him.

Chisa turned to Munakata with a frown.

“This private dock… couldn’t a police boat make it over there?” she asked.

“One boat of ordinary people couldn’t do the work of an ultimate team,” Munakata said. “It’s better if they go in.”

“Did you tell the police about this dock?” she asked.

Munakata was silent. 

“Yeah. I wondered about that.” Chisa nodded. “Kyosuke, you and Izuru are a lot more alike than you think. You both think you’re perfect, and you get things right just often enough to prove it, and that would be fine if you were doing a puzzle or baking a cake or anything else, but you’re betting their lives on your perfection.”

“You trust me, don’t you, Chisa?” he asked, taking her hands. 

“I used to,” she said. “I want to. You’re a good leader, Kyosuke, but this… I don’t know what this is. Eagerness? Pride? Both? I’ve told you how I feel so many times about this, and your solution was to hire me and lie to me.”

“Please, I know I’m doing the right thing,” he said. 

“That’s good for you,” she said, sadly pulling her hands away. “Kyosuke… I need to know you listen to me. It was all fine when Juzo and I followed your orders before, but now I… I want you to listen to us. Until then, I’m not working with you anymore.”

“Chisa, don’t-”

“Not the best way to talk to me right now, Kyosuke,” she warned him. “Talk to me after they come home, we’ll work this out, because I love you even when you’re an idiot. If even one of them doesn’t make it home then… then don’t talk to me at all.”

Munakata watched helplessly as Chisa headed off in the direction of Sakakura and Izuru. 


	5. Even Your Ghost Disagrees

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry I know it's been a million years but hopefully I'm back to it
> 
> I took a week off for a family vacation and then came back and totally forgot where I was and had no spoons for writing and then work happened and spoons dropped again and ugh  
> trying to get back into the feel for this one, I was pretty proud of a certain part of this chapter when I wrote it forever ago I hope I can get back to that level of quality lmao

Monokuma’s nighttime announcement played for an empty city, and the sounds of gunfire echoed in the dark. 

“I can’t believe they’re dead,” Hina sobbed into Sakura’s arms. “I can’t lose anyone else.”

“You won’t,” Sakura promised. “We’ll find the others, and protect them. No one is getting through us.”

“Yeah.” Hina nodded. “Yeah, you’re right.” 

Sakura smiled down at her, and Hina stood on her tip-toes to give her a kiss. 

As they were finding somewhere warm to spend the night, Makoto was standing by the wall and watching Mukuro have dinner with the Warriors of Hope.

“What happens if they breach our defenses?” Nagisa asked. “The game isn’t over, the army isn’t complete.”

“They won’t get through,” Mukuro said. “I’ve worked with Fenrir for years before I started leading them. We’re not easily killed.”

A Monokuma bot carrying a tray of drinks walked past Makoto, and he stiffened in fear. The bot bowed to Monaca, who took a soda from the tray with a smile. 

“Did anyone bring the girl?” Kotoko asked. 

“Not yet.” Mukuro looked over to Makoto, and he pretended he didn’t see. 

“Send us out to look for her!” Kotoko said. “We’ll bring her back!”

“No. You’re not ready yet.”

“Aww…” Kotoko sank in her chair. 

The rest of the meal passed the usual way, with chaos that was tempered only by Mukuro’s presence. Eventually the kids ran off with a couple of Monokumas, leaving Mukuro and Makoto alone.

Makoto started clearing the table, and Mukuro tried to stop him with a hand on his shoulder.

“You should eat something, you haven’t today,” she said.

“No, I’m fine.” he shook his head. 

“Is something wrong?” her brow furrowed. “We’ll find your sister, I promise.”

“I know.”

“Is it something else?” she pushed. 

Makoto sighed. "No. Nothing. Is it okay if I go now? They like it when I read them a few stories before bed."

Mukuro nodded, and watched him go with concern.

"He looks pale…" she murmured to herself. "And tired."

  
  


"-when we arrive our first goal is to set up a base. We're dealing with a small army, we want to be prepared."

Chiaki was briefing the others when Chisa entered the room. She noticed Izuru standing off to the side, his mind clearly elsewhere.

"Most importantly look out for each other, nobody get separated from the group." Chiaki nodded. "We can do this, and I'll get us all ice cream when we get home."

There was some excited cheering and some exasperated chuckling at the idea of an ice cream reward. 

Izuru did neither, just glared at the wall.

"Hey, Izuru." Chisa put a hand on his shoulder. "Can we talk?"

He seemed to soften a little. "Of course."

They stepped out into the hall, and Chisa leaned against the wall before speaking.

"Izuru, people are all different from each other," she said, and he shrugged and nodded, clearly wondering what her point was. "There are things that you can do easily that others find hard, but there's also things that are hard for you that others find easy."

"What are you saying?"

"Don't try to take the world on your shoulders just because you can lift it," she said softly. "It gets heavier, and the weight might crush you. You have friends in there who care about you, please don't go off on your own."

"But, the only things I find difficult have to do with my feelings," Izuru said. "The only thing I feel about this mission is anger towards our target. I know confidently I can stop her. That's what I'm good at, it's what I was made for."

"You said you didn't want to be a weapon anymore," Chisa said.

"I don't, but we were all made to be something." He shook his head. "I’ll buy the ice cream when I get back.”

“Izuru-”

He stepped back into the room, leaving her reaching for his shoulder. She let her hand close up into a fist and fall to her side. 

“... fuck,” she swore, uncharacteristically. All she could see right now was Izuru and Munakata, their backs as they walked away from her pridefully into danger. With Munakata she wondered if maybe she should have been more assertive when they were younger, not just blindly followed him struck by awe and love. With Izuru she wondered if maybe she hadn’t taught him everything in time, if he’d reached that same place Munakata was at already before she could teach him the things that would save him. 

“Coffee?”

She turned to Sakakura and shook her head with a sigh. 

He lowered the offered coffee. “Hit the bar with me?” he suggested instead. 

“Now you’re talking,” she chuckled quietly. “Juzo… what is wrong with the men in our lives?”

“I’ll give Izuru a pass for having all of two years experience with life, but I’m not protecting Kyosuke for whatever earful you plan to give him,” Sakakura said. 

“I’m actually uh… giving him the opposite of an earful if this goes south,” she admitted. “Juzo, I told him that if any of them didn’t make it back I didn’t want to speak to him ever again.”

“Really?”

“Yeah.”

“Chisa, you love him,” Sakakura said. “I haven’t seen you love anyone else like him.”

She gave him a look. “My class, Juzo. I love those kids.”

“Fair enough.” he nodded. 

“You don’t have to stand by me on this one,” she said. 

“Like hell I don’t,” Sakakura said. “Chisa I love you as much as I love him, you’re my best friend.”

“Yeah, but he’s your high school crush,” she teased lightly.

“Shut up,” he groaned. “It’s our job to keep him in line. He does the big plans and we make them happen, and we also don’t let him get hurt. Still, maybe… we shouldn’t be getting hurt either.”

Chisa nodded, and wiped at her eyes subtly. “So… the bar?”

“They’re still fighting out there,” Fuyuhiko whispered, listening to the gunshots. Peko nodded. 

It was dark, they could barely see where they were headed, but any light might alert Fenrir agents on the inside to their presence. They made it to the dock anyway, and found an empty restaurant where they started setting up their base. 

“Where is everyone? There should be people, hiding but,” Peko said, looking about. “I don’t see any sign of anyone.”

“Are you thinking what I’m thinking?” Fuyuhiko asked her. 

“Always,” she sighed. “But I hope it’s not true.”

“Wanna let us in on the secret yakuza talk?” Akane asked.

“Mukuro’s a soldier, right?” Fuyuhiko said. “And she brought an army. I’m thinking she cleared the battlefield.”

“I’m reluctant to think she’d kill civilians,” Nekomaru said.

“Uh, isn’t this babe the Enoshima sister of despair?” Ibuki asked, hanging upside down out of a booth. 

“Like we were all arguing about before, the official statement is that she was as brainwashed as the rest of them,” Fuyuhiko said.

“Mikan, you worked with her, what do you think?” Akane asked.

Mikan squeaked and then reached for long hair that wasn’t there anymore, recently cut just before the mission. Without it to hang on to she let her hands fall back down to her sides.

“I-I don’t know, I didn’t talk to her much… C-Chiaki?”

“It’s all a blur for me,” Chiaki said. “I’m sorry…”

Her frown vanished when Nagito slipped a hand into hers, and she leaned against him before offering her hand to Mikan. Mikan took it and wiped at her eyes with her other hand. 

“It’ll be okay,” Chiaki said. “When we do this, that’ll be the last piece. We’ll be at 100% game completion and we can look back only to remember why we’re moving forward, right?”

“W-we’re the only ones who can do it,” Mikan said, the trembling in her voice starting to still. 

“Yeah.” Chiaki squeezed her hand.

“Just so you two know,” Fuyuhiko said, leaning back against the wall and looking over at them. “No one remembers you guys that way, not as the whole story. Chiaki, you’re our class rep. Mikan you’re a bit of a klutz but we love you anyway, and you were pretty much a hero during that flu outbreak.”

“Ugh, I can still feel the snot,” Ibuki groaned. 

“He’s right!” Nekomaru said. “We’re a team! We trust each other!”

“It is more than just trust!” Sonia said. “Our bond is deeper than that of classmates, we are as joined spirits!”

“Yes, joined by the chains of hell, compelled to move through this world together,” Gundham cackled.

Izuru watched them as they laughed, roughhoused, and hugged, all from his booth in the corner of the room. He looked out the window, scanning for signs of enemies. 

“We should be quieter,” he said. 

The liveliness faded at his words, and most of them glanced at him uncomfortably. Chiaki and Nagito were quick to join him, sliding into the seat across from him.

“Are you okay?” Chiaki asked.

“Yes.” 

“You look a bit on edge,” Nagito said.

“What edge? I’m on a chair.”

“You know, sometimes I can’t tell the difference between your jokes and your misunderstanding,” Nagito said with a chuckle. “It’s weird being on the other side of that, you know. Less lonely though, for sure.”

“Try and get some rest, okay?” Chiaki asked, reaching across the table to hold his hand. “Tomorrow will be busy.”

“Mm.” Izuru looked back out the window. Chiaki and Nagito shared a look, and then started to pull away. Izuru noticed and felt a small stab of panic. “Wait.”

They looked back to him.

“I… wanted to tell you both that you’re important to me,” Izuru said. “I know I don’t show it well.”

“You show it.” Chiaki smiled. “I just wish that you’d talk to us when you’re feeling upset.”

“I don’t feel upset.” Izuru shook his head with confusion. 

“Really?” Nagito asked. “Nothing’s bothering you?”

“Why does everyone keep asking me that?” 

“Because you look angry, and a little scared,” Chiaki said. 

Izuru looked over at Fuyuhiko and took a steadying breath. “No. I’m not. I’m okay.”

  
  


Teruteru was the only one not sleeping in a pile of people that night, for obvious reasons. The others were all curled up with someone, feeling more comfortable close to someone. Even Izuru, leaned back against the wall, had Chiaki and Nagito laying on him. He hadn’t even meant to fall asleep, but their weight was reassuring and soon he’d drifted off. 

He dreamt that night, for the first time in a long while.

Izuru walked into the living room of Chisa’s old apartment, the sound of a video game drawing his eyes to the figure sitting on the couch.

“Hey, Izuru, you got a minute?” Hajime asked. 

“Suppose.” Izuru shrugged. 

“Good, good.” Hajime tossed the gameboy aside and walked over to the TV. “Because we have to talk about this.”

He turned it on, and the image seemed to almost darken the room.

It was Chiaki and Chisa, crying and trying to get him to stand up and walk as he bled out.

“It’s on all the channels you know.” Hajime shrugged, looking a bit fed up. “It’s been a year and you still haven’t thought about this?”

“I don’t see why I should,” Izuru said. “It’s in the past.”

“You almost died, Chiaki almost killed you,” Hajime said. “You found a family and almost lost it like that.” he snapped his fingers. “You really think your memories are bleeding into my mindspace because you’re just fine with them?”

“You’re making a big deal out of this,” Izuru said. “I think it upsets you.”

“It does upset me!” Hajime said. “That’s you,” he pointed to the screen. “But it’s also me! You keep making me watch it because you don’t want to. I felt us dying too, and it scared me. It scared you. Stop pretending like it didn’t.”

“Death does not scare me,” Izuru insisted. 

“You love Chiaki and Nagito and you had to watch them suffer and despair.”

“They have recovered, the past does not matter.”

“Then why do you flinch when Chiaki reaches for you?”

Izuru grabbed him by his shirt front and slammed him into the wall, face twisted into a snarl. He didn’t realize until he heard Hajime choking that he had a hand around his throat. He pulled it away but he didn’t let go of Hajime, lifting him off the ground and keeping him pressed to the wall.

“Don’t. I don’t do that,” he said.

“It’s okay,” Hajime said. “It doesn’t mean you don’t love her, it just-”

“I don’t flinch, I never flinch!” Izuru shouted. “I’m perfect! I can’t flinch!”

“You have to admit that you’re not him anymore,” Hajime said. “You’re not the human lab rat, you’ve changed and you’re going to keep changing because that’s what happens to people. You’re not perfect, no one is, you’re just scared of the alternative.”

“I don’t have to listen to you,” Izuru said. “You’re insecure, you’re a coward, you wanted to be me and then you hid away in my head.”

Hajime looked hurt and angry for a moment, and then he sighed. “I am insecure. I’m scared sometimes too. That doesn’t make me a coward.” he looked up at Izuru. “If you want me to take this body back I will, but I wanted to give you a life because I thought you deserved one… if you don’t want it…”

Izuru’s eyes went wide with panic, like Hajime knew they would.

“Put me down?” he said. “It’s hard to talk like this.”

Izuru slowly lowered him to the ground and let go, taking a shaky step back. Hajime straightened himself out and then walked to the kitchen.

“You know, we turned old enough to drink and you haven’t tried it yet?” he chuckled. “I never got a chance so I can only really imagine sodas for us.” he pulled two from the fridge and walked over to the couch. He offered one to Izuru. 

Izuru hesitated a moment, and then joined him on the couch and took the soda.

“I know it’s hard,” Hajime said, opening his and taking a sip. “But if you’re going to be running this life then you have to do it. You can’t waste this body year through year on repressing the things that happen to you. Life was meant to be lived, not shoved back into your head.”

Izuru raised an eyebrow at him, and Hajime rolled his eyes.

“I’m living here,” Hajime said. “It’s lonely, sure, but I figure once you get the hang of being your own person you can get the hang of being two and I’ll get to see the others again.”

“You think I can do that?” Izuru asked, staring down at the soda in his hands.

“Yeah,” Hajime said. “You just have to face these things. Accept the bad and enjoy the good.”

“... I love them,” Izuru said, watching the screen as it flashed through the events of that terrible day. Nagito sawing off his hand, Chiaki laughing as he ran the maze, Chisa sobbing and petting his hair. “And it makes me weak. I’m supposed to be perfect and if I’m weak now then… what are they?” he looked at Hajime with fear and grief. “If I can’t protect them, and they’re weaker than me…?”

“You think they’re weaker than you?” Hajime asked.

“... aren’t they?” Izuru asked.

“Well, they’re not the ones running from the past, right?” Hajime said pointedly. “You can probably outfight them, outrun them, maybe even outthink them on a good day, but they’re strong in ways you aren’t. It’s not bad, it’s just different.”

“I have to go back now.” Izuru set the soda aside and stood up. “I have to protect them.”

“Do you even listen when I talk?” Hajime huffed.

“I’ll visit you later, promise,” Izuru said, and then he made himself wake up. 

Chiaki and Nagito were still asleep, Chiaki laying in his lap and Nagito leaning against his side. He slowly moved them so he could get up without waking them.

Hajime had given him a lot to think about, obviously the past was a bigger issue for him than he thought. However, he felt if he faced the last link to that past here then that would be that. He just had to keep Mukuro from hurting anyone else ever again. He ran a gentle hand across Chiaki’s cheek, and then over Nagito’s prosthetic. They might be stronger than him in some ways but when it came to things like this he was the strongest and that meant he had to do this. He couldn’t let them get hurt, or despair. 

He’d take Mukuro in, and then there’d be no more flinching. 

Makoto felt someone poking him, first his cheek and then when he didn’t properly wake up, his ribs. 

“Hey!” Kotoko hissed. “Big bro. Wake up!”

Makoto groaned and slowly sat up. He’d been sleeping on the floor, which was kind of just the usual for him now. Mukuro had offered to let him sleep in her bed but he decided he preferred to stay near the kids and away from her even if it meant a sore back. 

“Yeah? What do you need?” he yawned.

She looked around herself anxiously, making sure the others were asleep. “I wanna go find your sister.”

Makoto blinked up at her wide eyed. “You… what?”

“I wanna show big sis Mukuro that I can do it,” she said determinedly. “And I don’t want you to be lonely.” she shuffled her feet a little. “I had these hamsters once. When one of them died the other just stopped eating and got all sad and tired…” She looked at him sadly.

“Oh…” he realized. “Oh, Kotoko, it’s not your job to worry about that, okay? I’m the one that worries about you, you just focus on being on a kid.”

“I can’t,” she said. She looked around again and then pointed to the door. Makoto nodded and followed her out into the other room, closing the door softly behind him. 

“I can’t focus on being a kid anymore,” she said, shaking her head. “Other kids get to play outside and go to school…” tears started welling up in her eyes. “I have to be strong to protect those kids from what happened to me.”

“Kotoko, no,” Makoto kneeled in front of her. “It’s so brave of you to want to help people, and I know you will, but you still have to grow up. Don’t let the people who hurt you make you grow up all at once. I’ll keep you safe for now, okay? You can tell me if someone needs protecting, and we can do it together.”

Makoto suddenly had the air half knocked out of him as Kotoko tackled him with a hug.

“Please let me help anyway?” she asked.

“... do you know how I can get out of here?” Makoto asked. “Without Mukuro, the guards, or the Monokumas seeing me?”

“Yes!” she pulled back and nodded. “Follow me.”

They moved quickly through the building, hiding as Monokuma bots walked by. Kotoko led him to the kitchen and then pointed at an old trash chute.

“We don’t use it anymore, I think it goes outside,” she said.

“You think?” Makoto asked nervously.

“I don’t know!” she huffed, stamping her foot. 

“Okay! Okay!” Makoto eyed the chute nervously. Then he looked over at Kotoko. “It’s not safe out there. You can’t come with me.”

“I can fight!” she insisted.

“You have to stay here with the others,” he said. “I can come back for you.”

“No!”

“Kotoko, you-”

Suddenly the door opened, and both of them froze as Mukuro walked in flanked by four Monokumas. Makoto stepped in front of Kotoko, and Mukuro looked shocked at the implication that she would hurt her. 

“What are you doing?” she asked.

“Big sis…” Kotoko said. “We were just going to go get that girl, the one you wanted!”

“You’re trying to leave?” Mukuro addressed Makoto. “There’s a killing game out there, you’re safe with me… and you want to leave?”

“I have to help them,” Makoto said. “My friends, my sister, my partners…”

Mukuro shook her head. “Your  _ partners _ put your sister in harms way, I was going to get her back.”

“You locked her up in the first place!” Makoto shouted, tears in the corners of his eyes. “You did all of this! None of this would have happened without you!”

“I’m punishing the wicked, and I’m taking care of you!” she shouted back, voice desperate. 

“I don’t want you to take care of me,” Makoto said.

Mukuro balled her hands into fists, and made a choked noise. “Those people are just like her, Makoto! You really think people like Junko should be left alive?”

“What?” Kotoko asked, voice shaking.

“They’re not the ones that are like Junko,” Makoto said. “I’ve heard you when you talk for Monokuma… he’s meant to sound like her isn’t he?”

“Don’t compare me to her!” Mukuro hissed.

“W-why don’t you want to be like big sis Junko?” Kotoko asked, hanging onto Makoto’s jacket.

“You’re just doing what she did, with the upperclassmen,” Makoto said. “If you want to help people then you have to stop! Don’t be like her…”

“I’m nothing like her!” Mukuro screamed. “She made that perfectly clear every single day! I killed that bitch because I’m stronger than her, too strong to let her hurt me again!”

“You killed her?”

Makoto looked down at Kotoko, who was shaking and staring up at Mukuro in shock. 

“You…  _ killed _ big sis Junko?” she asked. 

“... it had to be done, Kotoko,” Mukuro said. “She was an enemy. Just like your parents, right? You wanted me to kill them, right?”

Kotoko looked at her in horror, and then pulled open one of the drawers and grabbed a knife.

“Kotoko, no!” Makoto grabbed her as she ran for Mukro, and shook her hand until she dropped the knife. 

Mukuro stared down at the knife, eyes turning cold and wild. “Kotoko…”

“You said we were a family!” Kotoko shouted. “You said we’d protect each other! You killed her!”

Mukuro slapped her.

Kotoko crumpled in Makoto’s arms, whimpering, and he looked up at Mukuro in horror. 

“Lock them up where they’ll be quiet,” Mukuro ordered the bots. 

The Monokumas surrounded them, and Makoto tried to shield Kotoko in his arms as they were grabbed and forced to their feet. The bots walked them out the door, and as they went Mukuro grasped at her arms, tears falling from her eyes.

“I’m not her…” she said. “... but she would know what to do. She’d fix this. She’d know what to do.”

  
  


“Do you think we’ll find anyone today?” Hina asked, watching as Sakura gathered their things into a backpack. They rose with the sun everyday, and now they were going to look for whoever they could. 

“We will,” Sakura assured her. 

Suddenly the usual chimes rang out through the city and the screens flickered to life.

“Guess what time it is, kiddos?” Monokuma chuckled. “Looks like you were all busy last night while I was sleeping! Jeez! Am I supposed to watch the cameras all day long?” 

The screen flashed to Hifumi and Taka’s bodies.

“Let’s see now…” Monokuma put on a pair of glasses and took out a calculator. “Sayaka, Leon, Mondo, Chihiro, Hifumi, and Taka… looks like that brings the score up to six dead! I'd say one to go except we still have the itty bitty problem of Komaru Naegi the party crasher! I see none of you have brought her in so let me remind you." Monokuma bared his claws. "Bring me the Naegi girl and you get an out from the game! Stop dawdling!"

"Whoa, he seems way more on edge than usual," Hina said. "I wonder what he wants with Makoto's sister… I hope she's okay. I hope Makoto's okay too."

Sakura nodded her agreement.

They hit the road, walking side by side holding hands. 

"Man, I'm starving," Hina complained. "When we get out of here we're going to have so many pancakes, right?"

Sakura chuckled. "With whipped cream."

"Hey, I think I see a store over there!" Hina said excitedly. "Let's make a breakfast stop! Maybe they have protein shakes!"

She ran off, and Sakura followed quickly. As she followed she thought about how much Hina meant to her. If it came down to it, in this killing game, she'd sacrifice everything to keep her safe. 

But only the things that were hers to sacrifice. Komaru's fate didn't belong to her, only her own. She'd figure out another way, and she'd protect Hina with everything she had. Her resolve could not be shaken.


	6. HIATUS-NOT CONTENT

Hey guys just putting a heads up here for people who don't follow the blog where I update stuff about my danganronpa fic

This fic is going on hiatus. I'm not really satisfied with the content I made and I'm finding trying to fix it all and create a good story from it really draining. I learned I wasn't the only one who felt this way about the quality so for now I'm gonna take a step back and work on some other stuff.

I might come back to this fic eventually or I might delete it or leave it unfinished. I apologize to those of you who requested a sequel;;; they never have been my strong suit, and this is the first time I've ever done something like this with taking a step back instead of just powering through and publishing whatever I've come up with 

Anyone curious as to where I was going with the story feel free to ask in a comment or send an ask to the blog and I'll let you know what I had planned 

Thanks for reading guys, and sorry again 


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